More Dirt on Soil... part 2

From a nutritional perspective, grapes are less demanding than most crops, and most challenges can be handles through various vineyard management tools, like cover crops, tilling schedules, etc. But there are some basic features one would want when deciding where to plant grapes. (See Wine Science by Ron S. Jackson for more detailed information).

Stressing the vines – fact of fiction? Lower soil fertility is actually a good thing for grape vines, as it forces the energy of the pant to focus on development of the fruit. An added bonus is that many low-nutrient soils are porous – a good thing for many reasons. Porous soil allows the roots to extend deeper. Vines then become less susceptible to drought conditions, since they can source their moisture and nutrients from below the ground. The happy result is more consistency is grape quality fro year to year.

Drainage is also an important factor, assisting the area around to vine to warm more quickly, protecting against cooler temperatures, including frost. Good drainage has also been tied to earlier spring growth.

So, soil type has a more indirect influence on resultant grape quality – still important, but not the dominant factor.

Specific soil types later this week… stay tuned!