Bordeaux - Vineyard Management

Question 1

How many vines per hectare in top producing estates of Bordeaux?

Answer 1

10 000 vines per hectare

Question 2

How far apart are vines planted and what is the distance between rows?

Answer 2

One metre

Question 3

What is the size of the area under vine in Bordeaux?

Answer 3

111000 hectares

Question 4

How does this compare to other Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP)?

Answer 4

It is the largest area under vine of any AOP in France

Question 5

How does the high density planting influence the price of the wine?

Answer 5

Increases it. 
The vineyard needs:
-Extra trellising
-more vines
-elevated over-the-row tractors
-more spraying
-more time for vine training
-more time for ploughing

Question 6

Why do less prestigious appellations not use high density planting?

Answer 6

The market will not pay the same amount for their product as for the top producers. Therefore, they cannot justify the increased costs of high density planting

Question 7

What viticulture techniques are used to counter the effect of the damp climate in Bordeaux?

Answer 7

• trimming leaves in the summer to encourage air flow

- Bordeaux mixture was invented in the 19th C. to treat fungal diseases like powdery mildew

Question 8

What is Bordeaux Mixture?

Answer 8

Copper Sulphate and Calcium Hydroxide blend which was sprayed onto vines to prevent powdery mildew

Question 9

What other positive effect does thinning leaves have on the fruit?

Answer 9

Allows more sunshine to get to the grapes which assists with the ripening

Question 10

What happens to spray treatments following a mildew attack and then rain?

Answer 10

Tractors cannot enter vineyards and so sprays cannot be effectively deployed

Question 11

What is Eutypa dieback and Esca?

Answer 11

Trunk diseases that rot the trunk from the inside

Question 12

What is the new treatment used for trunk diseases?

Answer 12

Soft Pruning. Simonit and Sirch (first tested their idea in Italy)
The approach drives branch development like all pruning but considers vascular flow and makes the smallest cuts possible to decrease the size of vine wounds and thus wood disease

Question 13

What is bunch thinning/green harvesting?

Answer 13

Removing bunches of grapes from the vine before véraison to increase concentration of flavors
Garagistes used this a great deal in the 1990s to produce concentrated jammy wines. the method is in decline.

Question 14

What is the disadvantage of bunch thinning?

Answer 14

May throw vine OFF BALANCE and so SHORT PRUNING in the Winter is now PREFERRED

Question 15

What is the current av. yield in Bordeaux?

Answer 15

50hl/h

Question 16

What may drive up labor costs at harvest time?

Answer 16

• In N. Medoc, vineyards are 2 hrs drive from Bordeaux so it is difficult to get sufficient labor to work the harvests (they often machine pick)
• Large estates employ over 100 workers for the harvest who may lie idle awaiting for the perfect moment to pick

Question 17

What might make an estate move from hand to machine harvest ?

Answer 17

• imminent rain or disease pressure

- difficulty in recruitment of workers

Question 18

What are the benefits of machine harvesting?

Answer 18

• not subject to harvesters schedules so can pick at right time
• can harvest quickly
• lower cost

Question 19

What are the disadvantages of machine harvesting?

Answer 19

• if hiring the machine, machine availability at harvest time may be limited
• no selection of the best grapes in the vineyard