Vineyards in winter: time to work on the wine to be produced
Even when the earth rests the activity in the vineyard doesn't stop;
it's pruning time.
Vineyards in winter: time to work on the wine to be produced
Vineyards rows covered by snow in winter at sunset. Chianti region countryside, Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Pruning the grape vines
Close-up of mature man pruning vine grape and fruit tree
Snow in Tuscany, winter panorama at sunset. Radicondoli village, olive trees and vineyards, Siena, Italy Europe.
The best grapes and the quality of the terroir are not enough to obtain an excellent wine: it is also necessary to prune the vines correctly, a delicate activity entrusted to expert hands.
Pruning is essential to ensure the continuity of the plant’s production, and must respect the flow of the lymph, a delicate balance to be preserved and that affect the plant’s vegetative activity and the fructification phase.
On this step depends the quality of the fruit as well.
If pruning is carried out properly, it ensures good aeration of the vine shoots and the right amount of light, and that is the healthiest and simplest way to keep the plant healthy.
And that’s not all: pruning must ensure that each bunch of grapes will be exposed to get the right amount of sun and to ripen properly when the vine will be at its maximum growth.
In the period between November and March, the Tuscan vineyards come back to life: while the plants that will give us excellent Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and many other splendid wines rest, the skilled vine growers take care of the dry pruning.
Fast and confident acts begin to define the future of the harvest; a ritual that is repeated over long days, with dedication to each individual plant, and with patience and attention already imagining the new look that will soon adorn the plants.
In a few months’ time, a soft, bright green will colour the hillsides around Sovicille and Siena, and new pruning will be necessary to steer the plant’s growth.
From San Lorenzo a Linari an unmissable view will be offered to the gaze of guests.
Once again, the wine growers will walk the paths between the rows of vines, and a new harvest to fully savour, will appear on the horizon.
