Wine Word of the Week: Viticulture



By Kori ~ November 13th, 2012.

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is viticulture.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Viticulture is the science and practice of grape culture. Viticulture is practiced consciously by viticulturists, often instinctively by grape-growers or vine-growers. Practices vary enormously around the world….

For still wines, it is arguable that the viticulturist can have a greater impact on wine quality than the winemaker since so many of the factors affecting quality are viticultural. The belief that ‘wine is made in the vineyard not the cellar’ became increasingly widespread during the 1990s.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Viticulture is the study and science of grape growing for the purpose of making wine.


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