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VINE PRUNING |
Following the harvest
the vines are pruned. This enables them to be trained on the same trellis each
year, and allows the viticulturalist to 'design' the way in which the plant
will fruit, optimising the yield and quality, and clearing the previous
season's growth so that when spring arrives the plant pumps its sap into the
few buds left, providing a strong development.
In principle
the task might seem easy, but in reality it is not. Designing the plant for
optimum production in terms of quality, whilst maintaining a reasonable yield,
calls for considerable experience, and is subject to continuing innovation.
Below we describe the process in outline for a couple of the trellis systems
used at Moorlynch Vineyard - the Double Guyot and the Geneva Double Curtain
(GDC).
Pruning Guyot
On the Guyot
all the previous year's growth is cut away except for two shoots, which are
left as the base for the year ahead. These are initially left standing up, but
in the next stage they are tied down to form two loops, one on either side of the
plant. This was our favourite trellis/pruning system, and one you will see a
lot in France.
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The picture shows the vine at the end of the season, with the bare shoots trained on the wire |
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All but two shoots are cut away, and these are tied down, as seen on the right, to form the base for the new growth |
Pruning GDC
The GDC system
is different, the plant is trained high in the air, and supported on just two
wires (looking like telegraph wires). Long laterals are trained along the
wires, and buds develop on these. At the pruning stage the growth from last
year is cut away, leaving 3-7 buds at each 'node' to develop for the current
year. The yield per vine from this system is high, but it is vulnerable to wind
damage, and spraying against disease is hampered by the profusion of foliage.
All the Previous year's growth is cut away to leave short spurs with 2/3 buds each
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End view of trellis line |
Side view of trellis line |
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