Pruning the Vines

Making wine is a yearlong process that repeats and re-cycles annually. It starts in the spring when all the planting is done; moving through the summer when the grapes are beginning to grow. Fall is a very busy time as this is when the grapes are harvested. Winter is clean up time, when the vines are pruned.

Importance of Pruning

Pruning helps properly maintain the vines, allowing them to produce consistently high grape quality and volume. The growers will cut back what they feel is just the right amount to benefit next season's crop. At the end of every season, the growers go back in the vineyard with pruning shears and cut away from 80 to 95 percent of the vine that grew during the previous season. They must be careful however, because next year's crop is directly dependent on which parts remain. The decision on what to cut off depends on the age of the vine, soil, variety of the grape, temperature of the growing season, and the style of wine.

The key to pruning is balancing the relationship between the crop and grape. One is grown at the expense of the other. If you over crop by not cutting enough away, the following year's growth will be weak and the fruit inferior. The skillful art for the winemaker is to find the right balance.

Today, some producers are using mechanical pruning, done by a group of specially made cutting saws that encircle the upper part of the vine and cut all the undesired wood. Although this method speeds up the process, a manual secondary pruning is still needed

Contributor: WineDefintions Staff Writer

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