A Year in the Vineyard

Bud Break

The cycle begins in April or May when the first buds appear. The buds are extremely delicate during this time, so we have to be especially wary of frosts. It’s a relief when we see the tiny buds start to swell and send off shoots.

Flowering

The flowers of cultivated grapevines are self-pollinating. If it’s warm enough, flowering begins in late June with small clusters resembling buttons appearing on the ends of the young shoots. This is when we see the Individual flowers appear and when pollination occurs to create the grape berry.

Fruit set

After flowering, the grape berries start to form around the seed. The berries are green at this stage, growing in bunches. Not every flower on the vine gets fertilised; the ones that don’t simply fall off.

Véraison

Midsummer is the most magical time for us. This is when the green berries start to ripen, changing colour from solid green through to a brighter, translucent green for the white grapes and a dark purple for the black grapes. At this point the grapes are increasing their sugars and reducing their acidity.

Harvest

During the long days of summer, the grapes too continue to ripen and sugar levels rise. Weather permitting, we normally harvest in October when the grapes reach the peak ripeness. However, this can be as late as November or as early as September as it was last year. Our team of pickers, work around the clock to pick the grapes by hand, before they are sent to the winery at the end of the day to start the vinification process.

Pruning

From November to February, the leaves fall off and we prune back the vines choosing the best canes from which to grow new shoots. We then lay them down in the double-guyot system, training two canes onto the wires either side of the main trunk.

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