Geology and Wine 8. Modeling Viticultural Landscapes: A GIS Analysis of the Terroir Potential in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon

Terroir is a holistic concept that relates to both environmental and cultural factors that together influence the grape growing to wine production continuum. The physical factors that influence the process include matching a given grape variety to its ideal climate along with optimum site characteristics of elevation, slope, aspect, and soil. While some regions have had hundreds and even thousands of years to define, develop, and understand their best terroir, newer regions typically face a trial and error stage of finding the best variety and terroir match. This research facilitates the process by modeling the climate and landscape in a relatively young grape growing region in Oregon, the Umpqua Valley appellation. The result is an inventory of land suitability that provides both existing and new growers greater insight into the best terroirs of the region. SOMMAIRE Le terroir est un concept holiste de facteurs environnementaux et culturels agissant sur un continuum s'etendant de la croissance de la vigne a la vinification. Dans le domaine des facteurs physiques, il faut trouver la combinaison ideale entre la variete du raisin d'une part, et le climat et les caracteristiques du site de culture comme l'elevation, la pente, l'aspect et le type de sol, d'autre part. Alors qu'en certaines regions, on a eu des centaines, voire des milliers d'annee pour definir, developper et definir le terroir ideal, dans les regions nouvelles, on doit proceder par essais et erreur pour trouver le meilleur appariement raisin et terroir. La recherche decrite ci-contre entend faciliter ce processus de mariage ideal en modelisant les facteurs du climat et du paysage dans une region viticole relativement jeune de l'Oregon, celle de la vallee de Umpqua. Le resultat obtenu est un inventaire des terrains propices, ce qui fait aussi bien l'affaire des vignerons etablis que des nouveaux vignerons dans leur quete des meilleurs terroirs de la region.

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