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Gigondas - Site Information |
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Site Location: |
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The Gigondas site is located in the Vacluse region of southern France (link to map showing all ProTerra sites). It sits on a north facing slope of 8°– 13° at an altitude of 300m. |
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A view of the field site at Gigondas |
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Climate: |
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The area is influenced by a Mediterranean climate and experiences sub-tropical temperatures and rainfall throughout the growing season. Storms in this region are extremely violent and often occur during the summer months. |
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The soil is a poorly structured and largely unprotected clay overlying limestone and it has been heavily eroded by water and regular cultivations. Such conditions combined with low root and earthworm activity have resulted in high levels of water retention. This severely hampers machinery access and has caused the soil to become anaerobic for prolonged periods. Much of the water is unavailable for extraction by plant roots due to the size of the pores in which it is held and the suction necessary to extract it. |
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Cropping system: |
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The site is used to cultivate grapes for wine production. The vines are more than 50 years old and of the Grenache variety. They are free standing and cultivated in rows which are orientated up-slope down-slope and sit 2.25m apart. Length of slope has been determined by the local geography; there has been no attempt to reduce it through the use of terraces, hedgerows, ditches or tracks. The period of vegetative growth for vines here is from April to October. Outside this time frame the vines are dormant and have no leaves. Old canes are removed by pruning in February and those which are not needed to make new cuttings are shredded and broadcast over the soil surface. |
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At the point of flowering, which takes place in June, and the ripening of the fruits in August / September, the vines are particularly sensitive to water stress; too little during flowering will result in reduced yields, too much during ripening will result in reduced sugar content and quality. Thus good soil water management is critical. The harvest takes place in September. |
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With the exception of pruning and harvest, all operations are carried out mechanically using caterpillar tracked vehicles which pass between the vine rows. Field conditions permitting, the soil in these inter-row zones is cultivated up to 6 times during the spring and summer months to remove competitive weeds and temporarily improve infiltration. Herbicides are used to remove weeds in the vine row. Several chemical applications are necessary each year, during the spring and summer months, to control pest and fungal problems on the vines. The high water holding capacity of the soil severely hampers the timing of these procedures. |
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Ceri Llewellyn (NSRI) |
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