VAN LEEUWEN Cornelis (Kees)

Cornelis (Kees) van Leeuwen is professor of viticulture at Bordeaux Sciences Agro, and Bordeaux University’s Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV). Kees van Leeuwen conducts research on the concept of terroir in viticulture. His works are centred on environmental constraint in the expresssion of vine-growing terroir. This constraint is most often a limiting of water supply or a limiting of nitrogen nutrition in the vines. Kees van Leeuwen has taken part in the creation and evaluation of several indicators of vine water and nitrogen status in vines. Kees van Leeuwen has also worked on the climate’s effect on the expression of vine-growing terroir. The vine’s response is evaluated through the precocity of its vegetation, its growth and development, and its grapes’ constituents at ripeness. Particular attention is paid to the grapes’ aromatic potential in relation to environmental factors. He participated in the creation of the Grapevine Flowering Veraison model (GFV model). His research focusses particularly on the effects of climate change in viticulture and how growers can adapt to a changing environment.

Other activities

Kees Van Leeuwen was initially trained as an enologist but he did a PhD on a terroir related subject: the influence of soil and climate on quality potential in the Saint-Émilion winegrowing area. He has been a consultant for Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion for 25 years. He has carried out or taken part in numerous studies to map the different soils of wine estates and appellations. Kees van Leeuwen is the founder and editor of the international peer reviewed open access journal ŒNO One. He also writes on a regular basis for the Dutch magazine Perswijn.