Our teams have started the longest, toughest yet very important task of the year : PRUNING
During this period, vines workers are pruning the vines, one by one, until the spring. This task is very important, as it directly impacts the health, the strength and the condition of the vines and therefore, the grapes. And for Arrogant Frog, the quality and the health of our vines are vital.
Did you know that it exists different way to prune the vines?
The main 3 ways to prune our vines are :
- Guyot: It takes its name from its inventor. The vine is led on a trellis. It is a fast and useful pruning method. It is a perfect way to use on high raw buds like Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc. But this style is wearying for the vines, because it needs a lot of energy for all the buds to blossom. There are two kinds of Guyot : simple and double.
- Cordon de Royat: you can also find simple and double cordon method as well. For this system, the vines are bent. On the horizonal part, branches are pruned short, leaving one spur on. The vines must be trellised. It is the most adapted for mechanization.
- Gobelet: it is an ancestral method. Romans used it for their vines. The purpose is to create four arms, which aerate and distribute energy to the clusters evenly. It doesn’t need to be led on a trellis. This system creates a natural umbrella to protect the grapes from being overexposed to the sun.
You get it, pruning survived the centuries, and we continue to take as much care of our vineyard in winter as the romans did.
Maybe you will not see the vineyard the same now 😉
Do you know more pruning systems ? So don’t hesitate to share them in comments !
