Application of a topographic pedosequence in the Villány Hills for terroir characterization

Abstract

Terroir refers to the geographical origin of wines. The landscape factors (topography, parent rock, soil, microbial life, climate, natural vegetation) are coupled with cultural factors (cultivation history and technology, cultivars and rootstock) and all together define a terroir. The physical factors can be well visualized by a slope profile developed into a pedosequence showing the regular configuration of the relevant physical factors for a wine district. In the present study the generalized topographic pedosequence (or catena) and GIS spatial model of the Villány Hills, a historical wine producing region, serves for the spatial representation and characterization of terroir types. A survey of properties of Cabernet Franc grape juice allowed the comparison of 10 vineyards in the Villány Wine District, Southwest Hungary. Five grape juice properties (FAN, NH3, YAN, density and glucose + fructose content) have been found to have a moderate linear relationship (0.5 < r2 < 0.7) with the Huglin Index (HI) and aspect. Aspect, when determined on the basis of angular distance from South (180°), showed a strong correlation (r2 > 0.7) with FAN, NH3, YAN, sugar and density and moderate correlation with primary amino nitrogen (PAN). HI showed a correlation with three nitrogen related parameters FAN, NH3, YAN, density and glucose + fructose content. Elevation and slope, however, did not correlate with any of the chemical properties.

Application of portable colorimeter for identification of mollic horizon and mollic-based soil groups

“…Soil colours have been applied to recognize soil composition and quality, and as one of basic parameters for soil classification since the beginning of the modern soil sciences (Linné, 1748). In particular soil colour may apparently reflect the origin and content of organic matter in soil (Łabaz et al, 2019;Łachacz and Załuski, 2023;Zhang and Hartemink, 2019), transformation/degradation of soil humus and humus horizons (Drewnik and Żyła, 2019;Łabaz and Kabała, 2016), mineral weathering and accumulation of iron compounds (Barajas and Ceron, 2022;Jankowski and Bednarek, 2022;Wakwoya et al, 2023), pedogenic accumulation of secondary carbonates and gypsum (Ayala-Nińo et al, 2022), illuvial accumulation of humus, iron, and clay (Durn et al, 2023;Gus-Stolarczy et al, 2023), water stagnation and redox processes (Repe and Pristovsek, 2022;Świtoniak et al, 2022), morphological transformation of soil profile (Czigány et al, 2020;Krupski et al, 2017;Mendyk et al, 2020;Świtoniak, 2014), persistence of parent materials in soil, in particular the light-coloured limestones/dolomites (Łabaz et al, 2022), lithogenic stratification of soil profile from alluvial (Jonczak et al, 2023;Kawałko et al, 2021;Loaiza-Usuga et al, 2022) or glacial (Kabala et al, 2022;Woronko et al, 2022) sedimentation, and other.…”

Ecological risk and enrichment of potentially toxic elements in the soil and eroded sediment in an organic vineyard (Tokaj Nagy Hill, Hungary)

“…These factors play a key role in cultivation culture and product quality, especially in sustainable agriculture (Schaller et al, 2018 ). In addition, the “terroir,” which is the combined effect of several local factors, including the soil, has a substantial role in determining the grape quality and wine sensory properties (Czigány et al, 2020 ; Ferrretti, 2019 ; Qi et al, 2019 ). However, agricultural activities are a primary source of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in cultivated soils, generating permanent pollution of large areas (Chen et al, 2015 ; Li et al, 2015 ).…”

“…Tillage or weed control with herbicides usually used in vineyards leave the bare soil exposed to rainfall and runoff during all or part of the year (Biddoccu et al, 2020 ). As a result, in the sloping vineyard, soil erosion and cultural practices drive the spatial distribution of macro-and micronutrients in the soil (Chevigny et al, 2014 ; Czigány et al, 2020 ). The spatial distribution of the fertilizer- and pesticide-derived PTEs in vineyard soils is also affected (Manaljav et al, 2021 ).…”

Geochemical distribution and risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in the soil and eroded sediment in two sloping vineyards

“…Vineyards represent one of the most extensive of the agroecosystems which cover the southern sloped mountainous and hilly areas of temperate climate regions (Stanchi et al, 2013). The term ''terroir'', which is the combined effect of several local factors (such as local rocks, topography, climate, soil, and landscape), has a substantial role in determining the grape quality and wine sensory properties (Czigány et al, 2020;Ferretti, 2019;Qi et al, 2019). Vine growth is strongly affected by soils and the terroir effect.…”

“…In addition, the type of farming (conventional and organic) and the age of the vineyard can be considered as dominant factors that cause changes in soil pedological properties and pollution levels PTE. Remarkably, in hillside vineyards, topography, climate, and lithology are the most important factors for soil erosion and the spatial distribution of macro-and micronutrients (Chevigny et al, 2014;Czigány et al, 2020). Then, the enrichment of PTEs in the soil may increase their potential for export into the non-target environment via water erosion, mainly as associated with sediment particles (He et al, 2004;Ribolzi et al, 2002).…”