Winter in the Barossa Valley - It’s Pruning Time
Pruning the Estate Vineyard, starting with Block 1 - two rows down
Pruning 2023
PRUNING for VINTAGE 2024 and BEYOND
Vintage (when we pick and process the grapes) gathers all the attention, but when it comes to quality, pruning is absolutely critical. Once the vines shut down for their annual sleep, the leaves drop off and the vines are left naked. Then it’s time for the hardy souls of the Barossa to venture into the vineyards to prune the vines.
Pruning trims the excess wood and growth from the prior season and sets the crop for the coming two seasons. Too many potential buds gives too much crop, too few gives too little crop. The health of the vine is paramount.
THE PRUNERS
Pruning is a very special skill. Each vine has its own personality. The ability to make timely decisions on the fly about each individual vine is only learnt through experience. The wrong canes, the wrong cuts can take years to repair. And these experienced people are getting tough to find.
We are fortunate to have had Amanda Mader as our pruner for a number of years. She does a great job in very tough conditions.
CONDITIONS
Out in the Barossa vineyards in winter is a tough place - very cold, often wet, short days and much to be done. Pruning is a solitary job, just you, some snips and thousands of vines to be done.
The MONTHS AHEAD
Mandy started this past week. She has about 6 weeks to go, day in day out to prune the vineyard. Only on the wet days do we stop pruning (disease pressures). The Shiraz will be rod and spur pruned, the Mataro bush vine pruned, and the Grenache a mixture of bush and spur pruned. We should be done by mid August, perhaps a little earlier, but think of Mandy next time you enjoy a glass of our Estate wines. We are very luck to have her.