Bordeaux Vineyard Management

Question 1

how are traditionally top quality vineyards planted?

Answer 1

Closely spaced vines at 10,000 per hectare
vines are planted 1 metre apart, 1 metre between rows
Suits infertile soils and = moderate vigour

Question 2

What are the advantages of close planting?

Answer 2

Makes good use of expensive vineyard land

Question 3

disadvantages of close planting?

Answer 3

adds to cost -
more plants, more trellising
specialise over-the-row tractors bought
more time needed for vine training, ploughing and spraying

Question 4

Most common Vine systems?

Answer 4

Head trained
replacement cane-pruned - canes trained along wires

Question 5

What is vine management is used on the Left Bank?

Answer 5

Two canes trained = Double Guyot

Question 6

What vine management is used on the Right Bank?

Answer 6

single cane + single guyot

Question 7

What vine management system is used by some prestigious estates?

Answer 7

Cordon-Trained, spur-pruned - reduces yields and better aeration

Question 8

Why is canopy management important in Bdx?

Answer 8

Moderate damp climate increased risk of downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot

Question 9

When does leaf removal take place?
Effect on grapes?

Answer 9

during the summer - improves aeration and deter rot
also aids ripening as grapes exposed to ultraviolet light

Question 10

What are the key trunk diseases in Bdx
What treatment helps with this?

Answer 10

Eutypa dieback and
Soft Pruning - small cuts allow wood to dry out and allows sap to flow around the plant

Question 11

Why remove leaves later in the growing season?

Answer 11

reduces risk of sunburn and extreme heat (2003 - ended up with raisined grapes)

Question 12

Have yields decreased or increased in last 20 years?
Average hL/ha?

Answer 12

Decreased
50 hL/ha

Question 13

Super low yields on right bank resulted in what kind of wines?

Answer 13

super concentrated = jammy / fatiguing wines
in decline

Question 14

What were previous Harvest practices?

Answer 14

Random! teams were hired for a defined period based on a guess of when grapes would be ripe. = overripe/underripe grapes

Question 15

What is the harvest practice now?

Answer 15

Pickers hired for longer periods - covering rain periods
Large teams hired by big estates
some workers hired from other EU countries and help with board and lodging
= increased cost

Question 16

How are high volume inexpensive grapes picked

Answer 16

machine harvest - allows perfect picking time