Wine Production : Vine to Bottle - Vinum Vine

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WINE PRODUCTION
jet machine, or one with panels that collect and recycle surplus
liquid, thereby reducing the actual dose per hectare and chemical
residues in the soil.
In many regions, networks of weather stations have been established,
producing daily reports warning subscribing growers if conditions
are such that outbreaks of particular diseases are likely. Prevention
might be achieved simply by opening up the canopy, but if spraying
is necessary it will be timely, and therefore most effective.
The problem of some insect pests, particularly grape moths, can
be reduced by hanging small capsules containing pheromones every
2 metres on the trellis wires. These create ‘sexual confusion’ in the
male, and thus prevent breeding. Beneficial insects are unaffected.
6.2 Organic viticulture
Of course, all farming was once ‘organic’, but the name was given
as recently as 1946, by J.I. Rodale. He created a demonstration
farm in Pennsylvania and founded Rodale Press.
However, as little as 20 years ago, there were few producers of
organic wine grapes of high quality. Today, many believe that organically
grown grapes can actually be of higher quality and produced at
lower cost than those dependent upon chemical fertilisers, herbicides
and pesticides. Organic viticulture in regions with warm, dry summers
is less challenging than in cooler, more humid areas. Nevertheless,
there are always pests that pose particular problems. At one time
countered with chemicals, these can now be dealt with using natural
ingenuity. By way of example, we will consider some particular problems
and solutions as dealt with by some organic producers in Chile.
The burrito (meaning ‘little donkey’), is a nasty mite that when
given a chance munches its way through the leaf structure, starving
the plant of nutrients and stunting growth. The organic defence is a
binding of plastic material with a sticky surface which is wrapped
around the vine’s trunk about half a metre from the ground. When
the burrito tries to climb up to its leafy lunch it gets stuck or turns
around and retreats to the earth. Some producers employ a gaggle
of geese that eat burritos and anything else they can bury their
beaks into as they patrol the vineyard and fertilise the vines. The red
(spider) mite is dealt with by the introduction of a larger white spider
Neoseiulus, harmless to vines, that feeds on the red mite. Grass