🌿 Pruning shears

Pruning shears, or secateurs, are garden scissors for cutting vines and snipping off bunches. They are one of the simplest and most important tools in a vineyard.

In winter, the grower uses them to cut off last year's shoots and keep only the ones needed. This decides how many bunches grow in summer. At harvest, shears are used for hand picking: one hand holds the vine and the other cuts the bunch. Hand picking is gentle on the berries and lets pickers choose only ripe bunches.

The blade must be sharp and clean, otherwise it leaves ragged wounds on the vine through which disease can enter. So the tool is cleaned and sharpened. Shears may be manual, spring-assisted or battery-powered electric ones. For wine, this simple tool matters as much as a press or a barrel: a good crop starts on the vine.