Have you ever heard of “green pruning”? If you do not know this term, stay with us and we will explain how we do it in Bodegas Loli Casado.
Green pruning is another of the tasks we must perform in the vineyard to ensure optimal development and quality of our wines. In this case, this work is carried out during the month of August, and consists of cutting and throwing away the bunches of grapes brought in excess by the vines, if necessary.
One hectare of vineyard is authorized to produce 6,500 kg of grapes in our region. There are years in which, due to its nature, it can produce more than this amount, or because, at the winery’s discretion, in order to keep the vines balanced and achieve better grape quality, we decided to prune the vines in green.
The moment to carry it out is coinciding with the beginning of veraison. During this period, several changes occur in the cluster. The skin changes color progressively from green to red and black, and inside the berry, the acids that are found inside the berry change to sugars. Simultaneously, the berry acquires its final size.
It is at this time that the clusters demand more nutrients from the vine. By eliminating the excess clusters (between 1 and 6 approximately), the remaining clusters benefit from and distribute for ripening all that the vine is capable of producing.
The operation is carried out by cutting with scissors and throwing to the ground, the clusters that are more hidden, at the top of the vine shoot… Thus, the remaining clusters will have an exceptional quality and we will obtain great wines.
That said, here ends this article focused on green pruning. Next week we will talk about sustainability, what it means to us and how we do our bit to support the ecosystem. If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to stop by our YouTube channel, where every Saturday we upload a video addressing the same topic as here in greater depth.