A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland

A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region revealed that vintage effects significantly influence terroir zones, overshadowing soil groups. The research, conducted over three consecutive seasons across 22 plots with varying expositions, soil types, and altitudes, found spatial temperature variability to be twice as high as annual temporal variation, averaging 395 growing degree days (GDD) between the most extreme plots. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering of vine and berry physiological parameters showed vintage-dependent grouping, highlighting that altitude was the main driver of precocity in all years, independent of vintage. This study underscores the importance of topography in viticultural terroirs and provides insights for optimizing mitigation strategies in the face of global warming.

Rienth, M., Lamy, F., Schoenenberger, P., Noll, D., Lorenzini, F., Viret, O., & Zufferey, V. (2020). A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland. OENO One, 54(4), 699–716. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.4.3756