Terroir2

Inspiration

The definition of the term terroir, used to describe the growing conditions of a specific wine, is complex. It refers to a combination of many factors that can influence one another, including the type of soil (chemical composition, nature, fertility, ability to retain water and heat), topography (the natural and artificial forms and details of land) and climate (depending on size: large area, small area, plot). In addition, ‘human’ factors can be included in the concept, such as the development of plots or the method of cultivation. Some authors even include the winemaking process, which can be more or less respectful of the terroir.



The Luxembourg Moselle produces wines of excellent quality from the lands lying between Schengen and Wasserbillig. The geology in the canton of Remich is very different from that in the canton of Grevenmacher. Indeed, the north has limestone soil and the south has clay marl. The region is thus destined to produce wines with distinct wine styles originating from different terroirs.

Innovation

The Terroir2 project, carried out in close collaboration with the Institut Viti-vinicole, aims first to study if different terroirs in the Luxembourgish Moselle region can be distinguished , and secondly, to characterize these terroirs. The study will focus on Riesling, which is one of the most important varieties from the Luxembourgish Moselle. Furthermore, the fact that it is harvested very late makes it a good choice for studying the phenomenon of terroir.


The project aims to study the following aspects in particular:


• Soil characteristics, topography and microclimate in the different terroirs of the Moselle and their relationship with the final product, the wine

• Chemical and sensory parameters linked to the different terroirs, and how they differ from the wines of the Greater Region (Luxembourg, Germany, France)

• The impact of growing conditions and the winemaking process on the expression of the terroir

• The impact of terroir on the susceptibility of crops to bunch rot

Impact

The project results will be used to create sensorial profiles for Luxembourgish Riesling wine originating from different terroirs. These sensorial wine profiles could be used to promote the typicity (taste characteristics linked to terroir) of Luxembourgish Riesling wine on the national and international wine market to improve the economic sustainability of the Luxembourgish wine sector.