The vegetative cycle of the vine, not really easy…

Yes yes, I m still here… but with many resolutions : once per month I will publish en article for the our very new newsletter ANDDDDDD this article will be writen in french and english!!!!!First article about pruning… and vegetative cycle of the vine

The vegetative cycle of the vine, not really easy…

We are in the midst of pruning, but what is it exactly? Essentiel stepthe pruning helps to get a good harvest that produces the best wines. Indeed, the vine grows in all directions. An undressed vine produces many grapes, but these ones are small and acids and are not usable for the production of quality wines. Pruning the vine allows to keep the quality. Beware ! If we cut too soon, buds will be early and they may freeze. The pruning is done in winter when the vine is dormant and the sap is down. This is the perfect time to shorten the branches of the previous year to prepare the future harvest.

This winter 2015/2016 is particularly soft, which could make the vine weeps earlier…
We say that the vine « weeps » when the sap comes out.

French proverb : “Taille tôt, taille tard, rien ne vaut la taille de Mars !”

Legend : Saint Vincent would have let his donkey eating the branches. It turned out that the grapes that were pruned by the donkey was actually better !

Some pictures from outings organized by Les Ateliers de Bacchus during pruning courses at Château Busquet, Lussac Saint-Émilion.

Short report on the vegetative cycle…
After pruning, thebuds come out – march, april – , and then leavesappear.

Once the bunch is formed, it will bloom : it is the flowering step– may-.

Then there will be the fertilization of flowers. But beware! If it rains during the flowering, pollen will stick to stamens and there will not have any fertilization. We call it coulure in french, we loose volume… Once fertilization is done, it is the fruit set – May, June – Then the seeds grow slowly… mai, juin -.

Afterwards, there’s the veraison, which is a stage when ripening grapes start to soften and change color. – August. From there, in theory, there are 45 days between mid veraison and harvest… Sometimes it’s true, sometimes not if the weather plays tricks…

Finally, we arrive at the last stage : the grape is ready and it is time to harvest!:-) – september, october -.

Soon for more news!

Pauline