Content

The concept of terroir is reflected from year to year in the characteristics of wines from a particular wine region, district or site, which are inimitable even if they are produced in exactly the same way. In addition to anthropogenic factors, terroir is also characterised by geogenic factors. Terroir studies help to identify sites or growing areas within wine-growing regions that have the potential to produce high-quality wines. Digital tools can be used to monitor climatic parameters quickly and automatically, and the data collected is very important for planning new vineyards.

The project will improve the vinograd.si digital portal as follows:

• at the existing portal, we will develop upgrades with a detailed display of meteorological data from the Meteoblue spatial algorithm for selected vineyards (up to 10 per wine-growing district) for each wine-growing district at representative vineyard locations.
• at the level of wine-growing districts and sub-districts, lithological and morphometric (geomorphological) maps will be created at various scales, with descriptions of the geogenic factors of the terroir at two levels (expert and user-oriented description). The user will be able to obtain an automatically generated report on the geogenic factors of a given location.
• a data storage system will be developed for future processing.

The proposed upgrade will facilitate the decisions of winegrowers when implementing technological measures in the vineyard. The vinograd.si digital portal will also make it possible to obtain reliable expert information.

Activities
The project is divided into three work packages.

WP 1: Upgrade of the Terroir Portal

This work package is dedicated to evaluating the terroir (growing conditions) of Slovenian vineyards and specific vineyard sites. At the level of selected vineyard sites (or larger vineyard complexes), we will collect data and visually upgrade the portal www.vinograd.si to display agro-meteorological parameters from the Meteoblue database model for the most important sites and vineyard complexes (up to 10 per wine-growing district).
Enhancements to the existing portal will include improved data visualization for grape ripening and the display of automatic agro-meteorological reports for each wine-growing district. These reports will be automatically generated each year after the growing season and harvest (expected by November 1st).
Upgrades will also include the development of a module for entering phenological phases for selected vineyards and their graphical comparison across years, as well as cartographic data for reviewing temperature and precipitation for a selected wine-growing district.
A significant part of the activities will focus on systematic data collection, which can be used in the future for research, modelling, and planning purposes.

WP 2: Bedrock, Soil, and Terrain Morphology

To characterize lithological factors on a macro scale, existing archival data will be collected, and to a lesser extent, field verification or reinterpretation of existing data will be conducted.
The lithological map of the project area will be created using the Basic Geological Map of the former Yugoslavia at a scale of 1:100,000 (available via the eGeologija viewer). Areas with similar lithological and dominant mineralogical characteristics will be defined to enable macro characterization of terroir units. Morphometric (geomorphological) analyses will be conducted using a digital elevation model (DEM) with 1×1 meter raster grid data from lidar (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenian Environment Agency, 2011, Atlas okolja).
This will include analysis of topographic profiles, shaded relief, and maps of elevation, slope, and aspect in a GIS environment. Using basic morphometric parameters for terroir studies, we will be able to demonstrate differences between individual vineyard sites. The already available soil map of Slovenia at a scale of 1:25,000 will be integrated into a newly developed module.
Within WP2, lithological maps, slope, aspect, elevation, and relief maps, as well as descriptions of geogenic characteristics at two levels (scientific-professional and user-friendly for winegrowers), will be prepared for wine regions, districts, sub-districts, and sites. Users will be able to select their vineyard on the portal and receive a detailed report on the natural characteristics of the site (bedrock and its composition, soil, morphometric/geomorphological factors). Additionally, new maps of geogenic terroir factors for individual vineyard sites or larger vineyard complexes will be presented, developed within the complementary research project “Origin of Wine: Geo-climatic, Microbiological or Human Construct? The Case of Slovenian Blaufränkisch (L4-50141).” These activities will lead to an upgrade of the vinograd.si platform and include the creation of a new module “Geogenic Terroir Factors” (accessible via the main menu). This module will display new lithological and morphometric (geomorphological) maps, as well as existing soil and climate data—i.e., the geogenic factors of terroir.

WP 3: Dissemination of Results

The third work package (WP3) will focus on the dissemination of results. This includes reporting and presenting results to the client, the professional and scientific community, and other stakeholders. A key part of the project will be a strategic advisory document with proposals for using the terroir monitoring system, measures for further project implementation, and recommendations for the client regarding their future role and activities. WP3 is crucial for communication, awareness-raising, promotion, capitalization of results, and ensuring the continuation of innovative approaches in using terroirs to enhance the visibility of Slovenian viticulture and increase the economic efficiency of the viticulture and winemaking sector.