Pruning

Pruning is a winegrower’s favorite task. This statement often puzzles the casual observer. Hunched-over laborers trudging slowly up and down vine rows doesn’t look very appealing.

Pruning is highly skilled and creative. Important decisions that affect the longevity of the individual vine, the potential yield of the season, and the position of the clusters on the trellis are made every two minutes. Two minutes is about what it takes to evaluate the vine, make the cuts, and pull the cut parts off of the wires.

The pruner first assesses the vine. Form is the priority, then function. Textbook drawings of the ideal vine serve as guides, but in reality, very few vines are so perfect. Our first job is to maintain the form of the vine. This structure, this architecture, this frame must be respected if the vine is to outlive us. While we try to avoid large cuts (disease portals), sometime the pruning saw needs to be unleashed. The best pruners make the most saw cuts. Timid pruners can contribute to ungainly vines.

After form is decided, the pruner evaluates the vine’s capacity to produce. A weaker vine that grew small shoots the previous year will need to be cut back harder. By retaining fewer buds, the number of shoots and clusters will in turn be reduced. From each vine according to its ability.

It’s a pretty intense two minutes.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: February 6, 2024