Profession viticulture adviser

Viticulture advisers advise on improving vineyard production and wine-making.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Types of wine

  The large variety of wines, including the different types, regions and special characteristics of each. The process behind the wine such as grape varietals, fermentation procedures and the types of crop that resulted in the final product.

• Raisin grapes

  The rules and conditions for growing raisin grapes: characteristics of the vine and growing regulations.

• Horticulture principles

  The standard horticultural practices, including but not limited to planting, pruning, corrective pruning, and fertilisation.

• Plant disease control

  Types and features of diseases in plants and crops. Different kinds control methods, activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the type of plant or crop, environmental and climate conditions and health and safety regulations. Storage and handling of products.

• Pest control in plants

  Types and features of pests in plants and crops. Different kinds of pest control methods, activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the type of plant or crop, environmental and climate conditions and health and safety regulations. Storage and handling of products.

• Table grapes manipulation

  Understand growing practices for both new and existing table grape cultivars; trellis design, canopy and fruit management, vine physiology including light and carbohydrate issues, growth regulators and girdling, vine capacity and crop load determinations

Skills

• Advise on fertiliser and herbicide

  Ability to advise on fertilisers and herbicides when and where needed.

• Develop grape growing techniques

  Develop growing techniques for wine grapes to improve wine quality and returns. Work on trellis design, canopy and fruit management, plant physiology, growth regulators, vine capacity and crop load determinations.

• Advise on wine quality improvement

  Advise on wine quality improvement especially related to technical aspects of vineyard cultivation.

• Manage nutrients

  Collect and process samples of soil and plant tissue. Supervise application of lime and fertilisers.

• Advise on grape quality improvement

  Advise on methods and procedures to improve the quality of grapes.

• Advise on nitrate pollution

  Nitrous oxide emission contributes to depletion of the ozone layer, which protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. It is also the mineral fertiliser most applied to agricultural lands. Fertilisation has introduced high amounts of nitrogen into the viticultural ecosystem.

• Advise on plant mineral nutrition

  Advise on protocols for plant growth parameters, content and composition of ions, soil analysis, flux measurement and high throughput analysis through public facilities.

• Monitor water quality

  Measure water quality: temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH, N2, NO2,NH4, CO2, turbidity, chlorophyll. Monitor microbiological water quality.

• Control wine quality

  Taste the wine and strive to improve the quality. Develop new styles of wine. Making sure that quality is maintained during all production stages, including when it is bottled. Record quality checks line with specifications. Assume responsibility for the maintenance of all quality parameters for all wines.

• Control grape quality

  Discuss the quality and quantity of the grapes with viticulturists throughout the growing season.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB