VINE PERFORMANCE, FRUIT COMPOSITION, AND WINE SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF GEWURZTRAMINER IN RESPONSE TO VINEYARD LOCATION AND CANOPY MANIPULATION

An experiment was conducted on Gewurztraminer vines between 1988 and 1 992 in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, to assess the impact of three canopy manipulation practices (unhedged control; hedge d to ca. 14 leaves per shoot; basal leaf removal) at each of three vin eyard sites [Oliver (Region II); Kaleden (Region I/II); Kelowna (Regio n I)]. The Kelowna site was characterized by lowest weight of cane pru nings and canopy density, and highest cluster weight and number of ber ries per cluster. Site had no consistent effect on berry and juice deg rees Brix, but highest pH, potassium (K+), free volatile terpenes (FVT ) and potentially-volatile terpenes (PVT), and lowest titratable acidi ty (TA) were measured at the Oliver site. Basal leaf removal lowered d egrees Brix, TA, pH, and K+, and increased FVT and PVT in the berries and juices in some years. In triangle tests, tasters could discern bet ween some pairs of sites and canopy manipulation treatments on an arom a and retronasal aroma (hereinafter known as flavor) basis, and found in most cases that leaf removal wines had highest muscat and floral ar omas and flavors. Descriptive analysis of wine sensory attributes show ed that the Oliver site, and the hedging and leaf removal treatments, contained most intense fruity, muscat, and cedar aromas and flavors, a s well as most body and aftertaste.