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We’re about halfway through pruning, and to be honest, it’s one of my favourite jobs.
It’s like setting the stage for everything that comes next. A clean slate. A fresh start.
We’ve been lucky. No winter kill this year.
The cold scare is half over, with spring frost still looming (mark your calendar: once the last full moon in May passes, we breathe easy).
Right now, we’re cutting vines back to two to three canes depending on soil type - sandier soils need more, sometimes even four if we’re playing it safe against frost. That extra cane is basically insurance if we don’t need it, we cut it.
We’re also looking for that perfect “pencil-thick” cane-not too big, not too thin. Too thin, and the vine doesn’t have enough stored energy to support healthy growth-you’ll end up with weak shoots and uneven fruit. Too thick, and we're constantly hedging and reigning it in all season. Pencil-thick gives us the right balance - strong, steady growth without the drama.
Tractors only run in the mornings, when the ground’s still frozen. Any later and you’re just tearing up the vineyard. And yes, we’re already spraying mineral oil to protect against early-season disease pressure, mostly from mealy bugs who carry all kinds of nastiness we don’t want in the vineyard.
It’s all technical, but all of it leads to balance.
Basically, set it up right now, and we’re golden later.
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