Pruning is important for maintaining the structural integrity, consistency, and predictability of the vineyard. Each cane will produce two clusters of grapes. Each of these buds will then grow into new canes that will bear this year’s fruit. We take each of the 2 ½ to 3-foot long canes down to one cane per spur and two buds per cane. While machines can help with the first round of pruning, the second round can only be done properly by hand. By trimming off this growth, we prevent the fungi from becoming established in the vine. Later in the season, we do “finish pruning,” during which we leave only the shoots that will produce fruit in the coming season.īecause this second pruning comes during the rainy season, it protects the permanent structure of the vines from fungi taking up residence in the newer growth. In the first pruning phase, we cut back last year’s growth, cutting each cane to about 12 to 15 inches from the trunk. A tractor completes the first pruning of grapevine canes at Jordan Estate, allowing the employees to focus on hand-pruning the grapevines’ cordons. It’s a meticulous piece of equipment that allows us to maintain the quality of our viticultural practices, save time and expense, and keep our staff safe at the same time. The pruners’ blades comb through the vineyard’s canopy and slice off the wood without cutting the delicate trellis wires. Modern machine pruners have automated sensors that open and close their jaws around the metal stakes in the vineyard row and end posts. Preventing employee injuries is a top priority, but the benefits of machine pruning vastly improve efficiency and precision, too. The machine pruner handles the first, most physical part of the cutting, and then our team will follow and hand prune the grapevines in the second phase. Thanks to advances in grapevine pruning technology, we now have pruning machines to help lighten the load. It’s hard work that can lead to employee injuries without safety training-usually strained shoulders, hands or back muscles. It takes four people working nine hours a day, six days a week for about three months to prune Jordan’s 112 estate vineyard acres. Last year’s canes, which are now surrounded by a layer of wood, are removed to facilitate fresh new growth. Like winemaking, grapevine pruning is part science, part art, and doing it right determines the size of the harvest and the quality of the wine. Pruning Grapevines is Part Art, Part Science
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