Canopy Management to Improve Grape Yield and Wine Quality - Principles and Practices

Abstract

This review and discussion paper was also presented at the 13th congress of the South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, Cape Town, 2 Nov. 1989. It presents principles of canopy management together with a series of quantitative indices for diagnosing problems. Guidelines are given for canopy surface area; spacing between canopies; within-canopy shade; balance between fruit and shoot growth; and uniformity of location of fruiting/renewal zones, shoot tips and cane bases. Recent papers are reviewed and the authors' unpublished data are presented on the effects of canopy microclimate on yield and wine quality of cv. Cabernet franc in a deep fertile soil in a cool, high-rainfall region of New Zealand.