Vineyard adventurers - Episode 2
- So Tom, tell us a little bit about what an organicwinemaker does in his vineyards throughout the year.
- END OF AUTUMN / WINTER: It is the period of cleaning the rows of vines and pruning. The winemaker maintains the edges and the slopes around his vines.
He is in charge of repairing the palisades (stakes, wires, moorings), bending the wood and attaching the wires. Everyone has their own way of doing things... but one thing is certain, winter is never a relaxing time for our winegrowing friends!
The general idea is that grassing between the rows, low walls, shrubs or natural hedges contribute to the development of species diversity. Favouring a dynamic and balanced environment is a first effective treatment against pests (microbial in particular).
IN SPRING: With the first beautiful days, the winemaker organic starts a big period of mechanical work on the soil (ploughing, ridging, earthing up). His vineyard and his soils must breathe, and be fertilized to the maximum; he is there to facilitate their task. After a few years of trials and experience, each winemaker has his own way of working during this period. In general, he obviously favors organic and green fertilizers. The winemaker can then also finalize the pruning of his vineyard and favor the thinning of the bunches at the end of spring; his final objective being to always privilege quality over quantity.
END OF SUMMER / BEGINNING OF FALL: The harvest is approaching! The winemaker does not sleep much, scrutinizing the weather forecast, recruiting and organizing the life of his extra staff for this coming harvest, going back and forth in his vineyards, tasting every day the grapes of such and such a plot to determine the ideal day to harvest such and such a row of vines...
On the day, the grape-pickers obviously work by hand, with secateurs. What are the advantages of this principle? The winemaker preserves the integrity of the grapes (which is impossible with the machine) and he can select the most beautiful bunches, those whose grapes seem to him to be at good maturity... and are naturally full of sugar.
- Tom, if we had to summarize the work of winemaker organic all year round, in his vineyards, what would be his main principles?
1- Give preference to natural and "contact" defense products (on the surface only, they do not penetrate the plant unlike systemic products).
2- Monitor your vines almost constantly to anticipate the slightest problem. The principle: prevent because we cannot correct later in a "hard" and chemical way, as in the conventional vineyard work.