# data[].attributes.body
1. What approach to viticulture are you going to use and why e.g. conventional, organic, etc? Justify your reasoning.

2. How the site will influence the grapes and what impact this might have on the final wine?

3. How will nutrient and water availability be managed and why this management might be necessary on your site?

4. What summer canopy management techniques you will use and why? Include details related to your grape varieties.

5. How you might protect from hazards, pests and diseases that are specific to your location?

6. Are there any other challenges your region might face. i.e. climate change, fires, hailstones, etc?

# data[].attributes.body
May be the document I´ve already made about Heuvelland can be usefull. Just have a look.

# data[].attributes.body
Belgium has a difficult climate, as for me I would use an conventional approach as we have here a lot of climatical issues: frost, rainfall and as consequence more possibility for a disease like mildew.

# data[].attributes.body
This video was made last october by one of my students

# data[].attributes.body
I think that we mostly must manage frost and excessive rainfall, water-logged soils can be present, so we must monitor weather and choose the correct site location to better drainage. We must remember that we still have some slopes but they are not very pronounced.

Examine the soil before planting. The soil in this region is ironstone and sand ( ijzerzandsteen).

Climate changes can bring more intens rainfall but also warmth at the same time, if the humidity is to high we could get rot in our vinyard.

Last year’s hailstones can occur, but we have to be ready and with a good weather monitoring we could try to prevent them by shooting the clouds for example with some rackets like they do in Piemonte Italy ( it is very expensive if you are not cooperating with your neighbors)

# data[].attributes.body
50 degrees latitude north > this is very challenging as 50 degrees north
or south is generally considered to be the natural boundary of making wine >
This means, lack of sunlight and cold temperatures during the growing season
> Luckily Heuvellandschap means a hilly landscape. It is therefore extra
important to let the vineyard face south a much as possible. > This had two
advantages. The most obvious is that there is a better angle towards the sun throughout
the day (sun is lower and less powerful this far from the equator). The second
advantage is that the cold of the night will partly slide of the slope during
the day, causing the vineyard to heat up faster.

# data[].attributes.body
Overall the soil will be important as it impacts the water & nutrients availability.

WATER

Vines need the right amount of water and nutrients supply. Too much or little water can have impact on the vine

In Belgium we have an average rainfall of 750mm, which can a too much so challenge is that the stomata closes up to protect the vine.

If to much rain during spring -> You will get too early shoot growth. If too much water is available during spring , it will start to prolong the growth of the green parts (leafs, tendrils..) instead of the grape ripening. This leads to an imbalance.

Excessive water in spring / summer -> leads to increase shading, which leads to a think canopy. This needs to be managed through canopy management & pruning techniques to control the density.

Having this increased shading will also lead into 1. An astringent taste. Less Tannin polymerisation , 2. increased methoxypyrazines, so more herbal characteristics , and 3. More fungal diseases.

The soil should ideally have a combination between sandy loam soils to ensure good drainage

NUTRIENTS

Good nutrient uptake will be needed, to have the right photosyntences, Having the right nutrients will be needed for root growth + a solid root structure

# data[].attributes.body
Chardonnay is prone to powdery mildew and pinot noir is prone to both downey mildew and powdery mildew.
These fungal diseases can be managed by summer pruning techniques to make the canopies open for airflow and sunlight.
1. Shoot thinning, removing the non fruitful shoots to solve potential shading issues.
2. Shoot positioning, leaves and grapes are located in consistent positions in the vine and vineyard and thus also solving shading issues.
3. Trimming, shortening the shoots, helps to reduce relative humidity inside canopies and gives easier access to the canopies for spray treatments.
4. Leaf removal, plucking leafs gives easier access to the grapes for spray treatments and speeds drying of the grapes after rain.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Photo is taken at Wijngoed Thurholt, not far from Heuvelland, in Western Flanders. 

# data[].attributes.headline
new methods to combat frosts: infrared light

# data[].attributes.subject
new methods to combat frosts: infrared light

# data[].attributes.body
In my opinion one of the biggest hazards we face on this location is the maritime climate (lots of rain during the growing season), in combination with a lack of sunlight (because of the distance of the equator). This is the perfect cocktail for various forms of mold in the vineyard. An advantage is that there is enough wind because we so close to the ocean. A possible solution therefore is VSP. The wind is able to blow the plants dry after rainfall. This will lower the mold pressure.