Chapter 6 is really one idea: soil health is the foundation, and water + nutrients are the two levers you keep adjusting through the season to control vigor, yield, ripening and risk.

For the exam, don’t memorize methods as a list — group them by what they do:

Build soil health (organic matter, humus, soil life, structure) so roots can access water + nutrients steadily.

Nutrient tools: fertilizers (organic vs inorganic), and weed/groundcover choices (cultivation, herbicides, grazing, cover crops, mulching) — each has a cost, ecosystem impact, and a vigor consequence.

Water tools: irrigation decisions (source, quality, system choice) and timing (especially regulated deficit irrigation) vs drainage and competition (cover crops) in wet sites.

Your exam lens: every intervention is a trade-off between cost, sustainability, vine balance, and grape composition — not “good vs bad.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thesommpour.substack.com/subscribe