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Each of the tasks that are carried out throughout the year in the vineyards is important, and even though pruning the grapes may seem insignificant, it may be the most important step, since the quality of the grapes and the wine that we can obtain afterwards will depend on its correct execution.
A good wine involves a lot of hard work, starting from the moment of planting and culminating with the release of a good wine, all part of the process, from the work in the vineyards to that carried out in the wineries, always in order to offer products of the best possible quality.
The quality of wine depends on many factors and of course, many of them are subject to the cultivation, care and harvesting of the grapes used for its production, which is why today we want to talk a little about a process that seems irrelevant, but nevertheless, it is elementary in a vineyard.
You may not know it, but the vine in its natural state, is a kind of climbing vine whose branches can reach up to 30 meters in length, which is why pruning grapes is undoubtedly very important, but this is not the only reason.
Grape pruning brings multiple benefits to the crop, among them:
- Grape pruning helps us to maintain the structure and shape of the vine, thus facilitating vineyard management.
- It helps us to limit the natural development of the vine, depending on the variety and the possibilities of the environment.
- Unify and balance the harvests, through the number and type of buds (a complex plant organ usually formed in the axil of the leaves) maintained on the vine.
- Grape pruning helps to facilitate and improve the flow or liquid transported by the conduction tissues of the plants (sap), seeking balance and improving the health of the plant. - It helps us to favor the distribution and exposure of the leaves and bunches in an adequate way in order to optimize the quality of the grape.
- It significantly reduces the aging process of the vine, as it constantly renews its parts.
Grape pruning is strictly necessary for two very clear reasons, the first is to limit production, because in this way we will obtain a higher quality harvest while at the same time we control the growth of the vineyard, extending its life span.
On the other hand, the second purpose of pruning the grapes is to be able to work the vineyard.
By limiting the thumbs, we will help to ensure that they do not interfere or interfere as little as possible in tillage work or the application of phytosanitary products.
Once you have understood the importance of pruning grapes, you may wonder:
When should I do it and when is the best time to do it?
One of the first doubts that arise is about the timing, at what time we should prune the vine or in which month to prune the grapes to achieve the desired result.
Generally speaking, we can say that the most appropriate time to prune the grape vine is when the plant is at rest, between leaf fall, approximately in the month of November, and during the time of budding, at the beginning of spring.
The reason for this is quite simple, as you will see, if pruning is done before the plant is at rest, the leaves will not have sent all their reserves to the woody part, so it will lose part of this, which could delay its sprouting and also cause it to lose vitality. On the other hand, if grape pruning is done before the plant begins to sprout, cutting will eliminate a large part of the reserves that it has already mobilized, weakening it.
It is important to prune at the right time because it is a meticulous job and it is necessary that it is done by experts because, although it may not seem so from the outside, it is not just a matter of cutting branches from the vine shoot without any knowledge, it is much more complex than that.
It requires experience and knowledge to ensure the excellence of our grapes and thus achieve a wine with unparalleled quality, in Bodegas de Andalucía we have extensive experience and knowledge in the field, which is why we offer a wide selection of the best wines you can find in the market.
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