Pruning is the most important activity during the winter months. Find out what pruning is, and how it ensures a good harvest.
“After a very rainy year (up to 2 times the seasonal norm), the autumn period was more clement and offered some fine dry days which enabled us to amend our soils”, explains Christelle Rinville, manager of the Taittinger vineyard. “This contribution of organic matter is favorable to soil life and contributes to the proper assimilation of nutrients by the roots of the vines.”
But there’s another essential step for vines during the winter months: pruning. Pruning is the focus of all our attention as it determines the bud load and vigor of the shoots, and therefore the production potential of our vines. “The know-how of our pruners is therefore an essential asset in managing the balanced management of our vineyards,” says Christelle Rinville.
On the Taittinger vineyard, pruning takes place most intensively from January onwards. The latest prunings (which will delay budburst) are reserved for Chardonnay plots, which are the most exposed to the risk of spring frost. This activity alternates with tying, which, as the name suggests, consists in tying the frameworks, rods and pruned extensions to the fixed wires.
To find out more about this essential gesture in the vineyard, listen to our podcast episode on the subject. David Arvois, chief winemaker at La Marquetterie, tells us about this step.
