🌿 Vine pruning

Vine pruning is the winter removal of extra shoots so that the vine gives fewer but better berries. It is done in the cold months when the plant is dormant. The grower leaves a few of the best shoots with buds and cuts off the rest. From the remaining buds new shoots with bunches grow in spring.

Pruning affects the yield and the quality of the wine. The more buds left, the larger the crop, but the berries are poorer and less concentrated. So in a vineyard where quality matters, fewer buds are left. Pruning also sets the shape of the vine, which makes it easier to tend and harvest.

There are various systems. The Guyot system is one long cane or two on a trellis. Cordon is a permanent horizontal arm. Gobelet is a small free-standing bush without support, common in hot and dry areas. Pruning takes experience and is usually done by hand. It is hard winter work in the vineyard.