Sustainable soil management for fine wines | e-learning
Short courses for professionals
In a context where sustainable vineyard management depends on a deep understanding of soils, it becomes necessary to master how soil properties influence vine growth and wine quality. This module will help you connect theory to practice, exploring concepts such as soil formation, texture, and structure, and how these soil properties influence water and nutrient availability in real vineyard situations. Through clear explanations and interactive content, you’ll gain the tools to make informed viticultural decisions.
Who is it for?
- Professionals looking to upgrade their technical skills (with a bachelor's), anyone with a background in biology who is interested in learning more about wine
Requirement
- Foundations in viticulture and/or plant physiology
Content & goals
Goals of the training
- understand what a soil is, how it forms, and how it evolves
- identify and characterize the different types of viticultural soils according to their texture, structure, color, and water content
- connect soil properties with vine physiology and nutrition
- analyze water and nutrient cycles in vineyards and their impact on vine performance and grape quality
- explain the role of organic matter and soil biodiversity in sustainable vineyard management
- apply different methods for soil analysis and interpretation
- implement field techniques for soil profile evaluation and management decision-making
- assess the effects of agricultural practices and cover crops on soil fertility and biodiversity
Training content
Teaching schedule
Week 1: Pre-semester online meeting and introduction to the module structure
- Week 2&3: Independent online coursework of Chapter 1.0, Chapter 1.2 & Chapter 1.2
- To understand what a soil is, how it forms, and how it evolves.
- To identify the different types of viticultural soils and explain their importance.
- To understand why some soils are more suitable for viticulture than others.
- To distinguish between soil texture and structure.
- To describe the physical structure of soils and its characteristics.
- To understand the different approaches to soil analysis and characterization in vineyards, and to conclude that combining several methods is necessary to fully assess viticultural soils.
Week 4: Q&A with Marc Greven
- Responses to pre-submitted questions (1h30)
- Live questions (30min)
Week 5 to 7: Independent online coursework of Chapter 2.1, Chapter 2.2, Chapter 2.3 & Chapter 2.4
- To understand root physiology and their role in plant nutrition
- To understand grapevine physiology and nutrient requirements.
- To comprehend the importance of optimizing mineral nutrition.
- To understand the importance of water for plants and the plant–soil–water relationship.
- To understand the role of soil organic matter and biodiversity.
- To analyze the effects of agricultural practices on soil biodiversity.
Week 8: Q&A with Brice Giffard
- Debrief of the activity in chapter 2.4
- Q&A session
Week 9 to 12: Independent online coursework of Chapter 3.1, Chapter 3.2, Chapter 3.3, Chapter 3.4 & Chapter 3.5
- To be able to calculate the amount of organic matter to add in your vineyard.
- To understand how to perform a water balance.
- To initiate learners in setting up field measurements.
- To enable learners to critically assess the choice of measurement locations.
- To understand the role of cover crops in viticulture.
- To identify species adapted for sustainable soil management.
- To analyze the effects of agricultural practices on biodiversity.
- To validate knowledge on biodiversity impacts.
- To characterize a soil: temperature, water-holding capacity, and nitrogen availability.
- To understand the basics of soil analysis.
- To apply techniques from the module to characterize soils and make informed vineyard management decisions.
Week 13: Q&A with Elisa Marguerit and Gregory Gambetta
- Responses to pre-submitted questions (1h30)
- Live questions (30min)
Week 14: Live tasting session
- To be able to describe different wines (6 wines total)
- To be able to link different soils to different aromas
Week 15&16: Final assessment
- To understand and master the interactions between soil, nutrients, and vine physiology to optimize soil management, prevent nutrient deficiencies, and promote sustainable, high-quality viticulture.