The vine has a cycle that flows through the year, especially conditioned by the climate and the environment.
Such is its repercussion that the works carried out in the vineyard depend directly on the meteorological phenomena that occurs throughout the year. Therefore, we find early harvests, late pruning, etc.
With the arrival of the cold, the vineyard enters its calmest stage: the so-called vegetative stop or dormancy. The same as people, the vineyard needs a break. Since spring, it has been blooming, budding and offering us our most precious product. Therefore it should enjoy a well-deserved rest.
During this period, we find the vineyard with a solitary aspect, submerged in a chromatic colour range of ocher and brown. In addition, with the drop in temperatures, the vineyard is preparing to spend the winter.
As consecuence the branches (the shoots that hold the clusters) harden and become woody. Simultaneously, the vine is forming different reserves of the components that it will need for this season. To do so, it removes them from the leaves, ending the process with the fall of those, and giving way to the shoots (branch of the vine).
This stage, which appears to be off, is actually a very important moment for the vine. In fact, it is resting and preparing for the budding that will take place in spring.
In this phase, it is crucial to carry out an essential task for our vineyard during the parenthesis that is being taken. That practice is pruning.
The objective of pruning is to limit its natural growth, improving its yield and the quality of the grapes. There are two types of pruning: strain pruning and espalier pruning. The main difference is the way the strain is conducted year after year.
In our case, we used the method of pruning with a Royat cord. This methodology drives the plant vertically. In order to control the growth of the branches, a cord or two is placed, which holds the arms of the vine, pruning the surpluses annually. The purpose is to leave the optimal thumbs with the different buds, which will give rise to the future branches, leaves and grapes.
With the arrival of spring, the vineyard will begin to wake up through weeping. That is, the sap circulates again with increasing temperatures and comes out where the vine was cut during pruning. From this moment on, sprouting will begin and the endless cycle of our vineyard will continue.
