Life Of A Grape - Part 1 'WINTER'
You didn’t think a grape could be that interesting did you …. Well let us tell you, when that grape turns into WINE then it is VERY interesting 🤣. As we move through the year we’ll let you know how our lovely wine grapes are getting on and find out how they turn into our delicious wine.
The Winter Grape
At this time of year the vines are dormant in the fields. In Italy it is definitely winter, and like our friends in their vineyards, they are hunkering down against the cold! The humble grape is no more than a twinkle in the vine’s eye.
The Scientific Stuff
The vines have cleverly stopped their liquid intake through the roots, and have moved the water out of the plant cells and into the intercellular space. This prevents the plants cells from bursting when a frost freezes the water in the cell. It is this trick of nature that helps the vines withstand the Italian hard frosts and snow. Above ground, the vines are literally sitting it out until spring comes.
At the vineyards
The days are short but there’s still plenty to do at this time of year. At both Tenuta dell’Ugolino in Le Marche and Casa Alle Vacche in Tuscany, while the vines are sleeping, this is the moment to prune. The art of pruning is passed from generation to generation. It’s essential to cut the vines back in a way that allows the best growth and grape yield. Too little pruning can lead to too large a canopy or bunches of grapes. Whilst too much pruning will cause the vine to produce more leaves and not focus on the fruits. The grape yield is an important factor in grape quality. Generally this is done by leaving a main set of branches.
Pruning is also a way of removing any diseased parts of a plant caused by a wet autumn or winter.
End of an era at Tenuta dell’Ugolino
They are busy putting in new trellises in their oldest wine-producing field. This field is full of memories as it was the first vineyard that the family’s ancestors cultivated wine from. Now the old vines are gone and about to be replaced with new ones. This is a historic moment for the Winemaker to honour the past, and look forward to the future. We wish them all the best for their precious new crop.
Let’s see what Casa Alle Vacche has to say
November / December: we have prepared the soil with alternate row work and the sowing of crops that bring organic and nutrient substances to the soil that the vines will benefit from when these crops are planted in March. This technique is called ‘green manure’.
January / February: the plants are in vegetative rest, the winter pruning begins, we prepare the vines for the best management and we try to regulate the correct growth and subsequent production... as far as we can. Then there are always the climatic factors that will determine the different vintages for better or for worse ….
Did you know what an artform Vine Pruning is?
Whilst there’s not much going on up top with the vines during winter, there’s lots happening underground. The wintry days are a time when the vine invests its energy into its root system. The roots grow and take up nutrients from the soil, while also preparing for the big Spring launch of new shoots.
Wrapping it up
We hope you’ve enjoyed an insight into the life of the beautiful grapes that go into making our gorgeous wine. The next update will be a key one as we find out how the new shoots are doing! Check out our Shop to browse the fantastic results of all this hard work by our vineyards.
