Factors to Add Value in Wine Producing - Case Study Example

Statement of Authorship I officially state that the work provided in this report is original and valid work and neither this report nor one with substantially comparable content under my authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere; and if requested, I will provide the sources on which the report is based for examination by the editors Signatures Date Sign New World Winery –Case Study of Australia Region Student’s Name: Institution: Instructor’s Name: Date: Subject Code: 1.0 Executive summary This discussion tries to explain about the use of terroir in wine production. It describes the adoption of the terroir system in the new world winery and how the user has enhanced quality and taste of wine. Countries that use the techniques of terroir have experienced a rise in the demand for wine and this shows that terroir and wine seem to have opened more markets. It also describes that best conditions, where wine production and the combination of terroir leads to quality wine. Therefore terroir in wine has contributed to tourists attraction, high sales and has enhanced marketing systems of in the wine industry. Table of Contents 1.0 Executive summary 3 2.0 Introduction 5 3.0 About wine production 6 3.1. Terroir and wine production 6 3.2. Terroir and science 7 3.3. The science of winery’s location 7 3.4. The aspect of terroir in sales, marketing and tourism context 9 4.0 Conclusion 10 5.0 Recommendation 11 6.0 Reference 11 2.0 Introduction The term new world wine refers to those countries that have been producing wine for the last two hundred years. These countries refer to Australia, South Africa, and Chile. France falls under the category of old world wine whereby they have been producing wine for many years. Army (2008) describes that the French concept of new world wine refers to the adoption of the technology and scientific consideration in adding value to the wine. This is done through understanding the unique opportunities of the regions that are potential for wine produce. The main raw material for wine is the grapes and, therefore, vineyards are plantations of grapes. The new world regions, therefore, have adopted the methods of improving the quality of wine by experimenting with different styles of wine produced with technology and they have also encouraged wine producers to remain flexible with the changing markets for wine. Australia in this case was the first country to have different labeling on their wine; this promoted sales due to the fact that consumers would choose their preferred tastes. In this report, we are going to discuss the factors that a wine producer will determine so as to add value to the wine and coming up with different tastes of wine and thus attracting more customers. The new world winery has discovered some aspects that matter when it comes to wine production. Terroir and climate have been researched and discovered to be the most important factors that result to great tasty wine in the world. 3.0 About wine production Climatic conditions and weather play a role in the decisions of human life on how to produce their crops. The two aspects determine the types of crops that could be compatible I a certain region. As in the past, today’s agricultural production is influenced by climatic conditions; wine grapes are the main crop under the discussion because it is a major raw material in the wine industry. Christian (2007) explains how wine production is mostly practiced all over the world due to the fact that countries have shifted their traditional agricultural production to conventional production. To mention a few of the countries that are known for producing grape wine are South Africa, Australia, Brazil and Argentina. For wine production, climate is the most important factor because it determines the fruit growth up to its ripening and hence its ability to produce great wine. The description of wine has been rated to capture the cultural aspects such as art, history, romantism, Investment potential and the aspect of science. 3.1. Terroir and wine production The unique traits that are found in wine mixture are a result of the complexity of various factors combined together and form the term terroir. This term is used to describe all the factors that are blended together to come up with the tastiest, great wine. These factors include cultural considerations of grape production and the environmental factors. The term terroir in the modern definition is therefore “the extent to which the land has been limited by the agricultural production capacity” the concept of terroir in wine production has been used in marketing, promoting tourism and improving the sales of wine. Terroir in old world wine is termed as traditional, but in the new world wine it is termed as industrial because of the approaches that the new world has used in producing grapes and thus quality and great wine. 3.2. Terroir and science The scientific research on the terroir has been conducted for years in order to differentiate the two main aspects of terroir which are its nature that comprises production factors and it nurture which comprises of its ability to attract and retain the users. The research was done to identify the aspects of terroir that has led to a gradual adoption in world wine production, which were to identify the quantity of terroir component needed in vine production by examining the relationship between climate, water and soil; identify the quantity of terroir component than determines composition of the fruit and thus the quality of wine produced; to find the best zoning practice of vines and determine the best technology to use in cultivation of best vines (Andrew,2002). Due to the scientific research findings, there has been a step in producing wine whereby identified compounds have been blended together thus resulting to good quality wine. The resulting compounds are fermentation of grapes, which involve the addition of yeast and the resulting process of ensuring wine maturity (Jamie, 2005). 3.3. The science of winery’s location This topic discusses the scientific factors that determine the location of wine production and in this case the location of planting wine producing crops. Geology, soils and climatic conditions are the main factors that determine its location. Good soils are required for vineyards to produce quality grapes, the chemical combinations of soils differ in different regions and so does geology. The chemical processes involved in producing quality wine give wine its inability to taste the terroir in it. The climatic conditions are also different and it has been scientifically proven that producing wine is favored by narrow climatic and geographical ranges. The suitable conditions for wine production lie at an average of 12 to 22 degrees Celsius. Climatic changes have resulted in a challenge, in grapes and wine production because a slight change in climate results to numerous challenges in the production (James, 1998.pg 58). Other aspects that determine the location of wine production are the topography which determines the transportation of ripe grapes. Microbes and yeast are also other determinants which contribute to the terroir in the wine. The soils in different regions differ and thus the yeasts and microbes found in the soils. Fermentation process depends on the yeasts in the soils which will contribute to the quality of the fruit and hence the great wine. The neighboring vegetation is also another determinant that which highly contributes to the chemical components of the soils. When there is nearby vegetation that produces other crops aside from grapes, it results to an imbalance of soil components and this result to effects of poor crop quality. If the crops grown under the same conditions as that of grapes, it will be an advantage because there will be nutrient's transfer which may improve the crops quality. The last determinant is the grape varieties which determine the taste of wine (Tim 2012, pg 37-48). Varieties of grapes do not grow in the same conditions; therefore, the chosen variety of grapes will determine the location where it will flourish. 3.4. The aspect of terroir in sales, marketing and tourism context When it comes to the aspect of terroir, it has been proved that rise use of wine and its production resulted from the terroir concept. It is believed that the use of terroir in wine production has resulted in quality and different tastes of wine. These are, therefore, generated more sales in wine producing regions, because they use the concept of terroir together with advanced technological production equipments. Perhaps the question that we should ask ourselves is whether the terroir concept attracts tourists. This question will allow us to identify the tourist point of view when it comes to the word ‘wine terroir.' According to the tourists, they understand the concept of wine terroir as the ability to experience the wine production in the regions through learning about the soils, the land and viticulture of grape production. In Australia, tourist pay for the opportunity to learn in the wine production industries, this is an opportunity for them to experience the geographical nature of the vineyard and for them to learn the different varieties of grapes. They therefore want to experience the production on wine terroir. Therefore, we conclude that the aspect of terroir has been a great tourist attraction (Barbara et al, 2010.pg 160). The study shows that tourists like to have fun when it comes to visiting the vineyards plantations where they are given a ride in tractors or a jeep, they will, therefore, get an opportunity to explore the entire history and culture on wine production. They also enjoy the preparations for vineyard plantations and some tourists participate in the mixing process. When it comes to terroir and marketing, there is a relationship in the sense that more people buy wine which has been blended in the terroir aspect. The marketing process of wine has to consider the culture of that particular target market; this is because some cultures prohibit drinking of wine while some do not mind wine drinking. The wine terroir has been produced in a manner that considers almost all the cultures because the contents are believed to be culturally acceptable. Since the production of the wine in Australia has diversified the tastes and preferences of wine to the consumers, they have blended wine in different components using the advanced technology while maintaining the originality of the taste of wine. They have labeled their wines so that the consumer is now free to choose the type of wine they feel has a quality and good taste. This has attracted the younger generation who consumes wine and would like different tastes coming from varieties of grapes. The wine regions in Australia will help us in understanding an aspect of marketing in wine terroir. In the New South Wales, the Hunter Valley has specialized in producing the trending chardonnay and Sauvignon varieties which has fetched the country more income due to the increasing market for the quality wines. South Australia also has Barossa Valley region which is known to have good quality producing vineyards and, therefore, produce sparkling types of wines from Shiraz and Grenache vineyards. 4.0 Conclusion Wine terroir is, therefore, the wine production aspect that has been used to improve the quality of wine among the producing countries. It has enabled countries to adopt technological advances in wine production while maintain the original taste of wine. The blending processes and the use of different varieties of grape's result of the quality of wine. 5.0 Recommendation The use of this concept has fetched the countries more income in terms of tourist attractions, increase in sales and also the rising demand which determines the target market. The aspect is also an important strategy for marketing wine. It is, therefore, recommended that the countries producing wine should adopt the use of terroir in wine production so as to satisfy the growing demand for wine. 6.0 Reference Amy T, (2008) The Taste of Place: A cultural Journey into Terroir.Berkeley: University of California Press, pg. 51. Andrew J, (2002) .The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine London: Mitchell Beazley. Barbara et al. (2010) .“Competitiveness and Sustainability in Wine Tourism Regions” in Dougherty, Geography of Wine, pg. 160. Bramley, C & Kirsten,JF. (2007). “Exploring the Economic Rational for Protecting Geographical Indications in Agriculture” Agrekon, pg. 69-93. Christian M, (2011). Wine Spectator, 15 Nov, p.96. James E, (1998) Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines. University of California Press. Jamie G, (2005). The Science of Wine: from Vine to Glass. Berkeley: University of California Press, pg. 29. Journal of Wine Research, Vol. 7, No. 1 (1996), Tim U, (2012).“Terroir: At the Heart of Geography," The Geography of Wine: Regions, Terroir and Techniques New York: Springer, pg. 37-48. Read More