Flavour is probably the most considered and discussed topic when it comes to wine. The flavour our taste buds and noses are designed to identify is simply nutrients in the food and drinks we consume. We are made to like the flavour of nutrients because it’s what keeps us alive.
A vine, like most plants, has one job. Its job is to grow the next generation of its species. To that end, it is designed to pack the seed of the next generation with all the nutrients it needs to germinate and grow. The nutrients in the fruit around the seed are critical to that process.
Our taste buds appreciate the effort the vine puts into those berries and the wine they can produce. Of course, the vine first needs access to the nutrients that produce the best tasting grapes.
The flavour of wine starts under the ground. Nutrient-rich soils are useless however if the plant and the soil biology are not working in concert. Sure, you can force nutrients into plants artificially the way most synthetic fertilisers do. However, you have billions of workers in the soil that can deliver nutrients to be efficiently assimilated into the vine and thereby into the grape.
The Need for Feed
Sometimes a well-intentioned fertiliser program can do more damage than good. The key is to feed the plant without damaging the soil. In fact, a healthy vine will feed the soil biology and the soil biology will return the favour by feeding the right nutrients to the vines.
The process of root exudation is arguably the most important exchange between the plant and the biology around its roots. Simply put it’s like the plant is charging the soil with energy and the soil is using that energy to break down nutrients and feed them back to the roots. The energy the plant provides the soil is in the form of carbohydrates that is created by photosynthesis is using the suns energy and CO2.
Products containing activated flavonoids, like CropBioLife from Crop Synergies, drive the efficiencies of both photosynthesis and root exudation. Using these products in conjunction with natural fertilisers will build soil health and in particular build soil organic carbon.
CropBioLife supports more efficient nutrition of vines and flavour in the wine. CropBioLife is an Australian Made and Owned organic input certified solution that supports long-term plant and soil health.