Vineyard soils
Vineyard soils are soils made of geologically differently shaped soil substrates that are used for viticulture, which usually have a mixed horizon resulting from repeated depth changes. The soil profile was greatly redesigned and the original horizon sequence was largely lost. The vineyard soils are therefore evidence of special cultivation.
On World Soil Day 2013, this soil type was proclaimed soil of the year 2014 by the Soil of the Year Board of Trustees .
Soil systematics
In terms of soil science, the vineyard soil is known as Rigosol (Rigolen; from the French rigole, that is, gutter). It is characterized by an anthropogenic, mineral mixed horizon (Rigol horizon). In the German soil systematics , Rigosol is classified in class Y (anthropogenic soils). Its abbreviation is YY. Not all soils on vineyards are rigosols in the sense of soil classification . The majority, but not all, of the areas were rigged.
Emergence
Vineyard soils were created with the special use by humans, which in many cultivation regions goes back to Roman times. By intensive deep plowing ( deep plowing ) before each new vineyard planting, the soil was dug up to 1 m deep and loosened. The trenching used to be done by hand (trench trench), today it is done mechanically at intervals of several decades before each new stocking. The goal of the trench is to create a deeply humus-rich and rootable soil that ensures the water and nutrient supply for the vines . Coarse stones are picked out and soil that is too dense is loosened. In many cases, organic fertilizers were or are being used with the trench , v. a. Manure and mineral substrates introduced into the soil. The trench changes the natural structure of the soil. The original stratification is usually no longer recognizable. Only below the Rigolhorizontes follows the still unchanged soil or the unweathered bedrock . On slopes, dry stone walls were built on the rock to give the ground support, which was then filled in behind the walls. The terraces created in this way are often the only way to cultivate the rocky slopes of the steep slopes , which are often more than 35 ° (70%) inclined . The steepest vineyards are the Engelsfelsen in Baden's Bühlertal with a gradient of 75 ° and the Calmont on the Moselle with a slope of up to 68 ° .
Occurrence
In Germany, vineyard soils cover an area of 102,000 hectares or 0.5% of the arable land. They occur regionally in 13 wine-growing regions and 9 federal states and mostly in climatic favorable regions. The diversity of the natural and cultural landscapes and their rich geological features result in a great variety of vineyard soils.
use
Wine as a special and permanent culture places special demands on its use in terms of soil cultivation , fertilization and plant protection . In addition, the vineyard terraces with their dry stone walls had a lasting impact on the landscape of the wine culture landscape. The vineyard soils of steep slopes combine a diverse natural features with an enormous cultural achievement in the construction and maintenance of vineyards. They are also an essential part of the cultural landscape.
Functions
Due to their typical location on valley slopes and in valleys and floodplains of rivers, the vineyard soils play a special role in retaining water in order to avoid flooding and the introduction of nutrients and pollutants into surface waters and the groundwater. The soils of historical vineyards are particularly worthy of protection as archives of cultural history . The same applies to the landscape of terraced vineyards.
Danger
In Germany, the vineyards have declined sharply in recent decades. In particular, steep slopes are abandoned and covered with bushes, terraces and walls are falling into disrepair. Massive interventions in the landscape, such as B. the land consolidation, have often led to large-scale redesign of the vineyards and their soils. Land consolidation and site improvement go hand in hand with massive earthworks on a landscape scale; old ceilings and historical terraces are destroyed. The deep tillage through the trench also leads to a constant transformation of the soil. The same applies to the soil application, which is sometimes carried out when new vineyards are created. Above all, steep slopes are at risk from soil erosion . Plant protection and fertilization in viticulture are intensive and lead to considerable pollution of the soil.
Vineyard soils and wine
Vineyard soils are the stable basis of the terroir . In addition to the work of the winemaker, the term terroir encompasses the natural factors rock , soil , climate and topography that characterize a vineyard and influence the quality and taste of the wine . The soil offers the vine support, nutrients and water. The thickness and structure of the soil space used by the vine roots, its water and air balance and its natural nutrient supply are the most important soil properties. They depend on the rock, the relief, the duration of the soil development , the respective climatic conditions and the processing by humans. The diverse properties of the vineyard soils not only shape the growth of the vines, but also the character of the grapes .
literature
- A. Bauer: Terroir characteristics of the Riesling grape variety: Correlation of sensory, chemical, soil and climatic parameters. Dissertation. Univ. Braunschweig, 2008.
- P. Bohm, K. Friedrich, K.-J. Sabel: The vineyard soils of Hessen. (= Soils and soil protection in Hesse. H. 7). Hessian State Office for Environment and Geology, Wiesbaden 2007.
- P. Bohm, E.-D. Spies: The vineyard soils in Rhineland-Palatinate. Stones. Floors. Terroir. Mainz (Ministry of Economics and others & Ministry of Environment and others Rhineland-Palatinate), 2013.
- M. Dettmer, J. Lepper: Viticulture in the German Triassic landscapes with special consideration of Franconia. In: N. Hauschke, V. Wilde (ed.): Trias - A completely different world. Dr. F. Pfeil, Munich 1999, pp. 557-574.
- C. Petit, F. Höchtl, C. Mohn, V. Eidloth, W. Konold: Stone and Wine II: Dry stone walls and stairs in historic vineyards. In: Stadt + Grün. No. 9, 2009, pp. 29-33.
- C. Sittler: "Wine on stone" or "From stone to wine" - relationships between grape variety and rock location and wine characteristics in the Barr-Andlau area (Alsace, France). In: Jber. Mitt. Oberrhein. geol. Ver. 1995, pp. 223-240.
- JE Wilson: Terroir. Key to wine. Hallwag, 2002.
- O. Wittmann: The vineyard soils of Franconia. Bayerischer Landwirtschaftsverlag, 1966.
- O. Wittmann: German wine-growing locations. In: Handbook of Soil Science. 26. Erg. Issue 11, 2006.
Web links
- Vineyard site viewer Hessen
- Digital vineyard soil map of Rhineland-Palatinate
- Transverse terracing in steep vineyards
Individual evidence
Black Earth (2005) | Pale Earth (2006) | Heide-Podzol (2007) | Brown Earth (2008) | Kalkmarsch (2009) | City floors (2010) | Vega (2011) | Moor (2012) | Plaggenesch (2013) | Vineyard soils (2014) | Backwater bottoms (2015) | Groundwater Soils (2016) | Garden Soils (2017) | Felshumusboden (2018) | Kippenboden (2019) | Wattboden (2020)