Vineyard Management Flashcards
Head training
Vines are head trained when they have relatively little permanent wood. Some only have a trunk. They can be either spur-pruned or replacement cane-pruned.
Cordon training
These vines typically have a trunk with one or more permanent horizontal arms or codons. The vines are usually spur-pruned. Cordon training takes longer to establish because of the greater amount of permanent wood. It does make mechanization easier.
Spur pruning
Spurs are short sections of one-year-old wood that have been cut down to only two or three buds. The spurs are either distributed along a cordon or around the top of the trunk (head training)
Replacement cane pruning
Canes are longer sections of one-year-old wood and can have anything between 8-20 buds. Usually only one or two canes are retained and each cane is tied horizontally to the trellis for support. Most often seen on head-trained vines. More complex that spur pruning, often referred to as Guyot training.
Untrellised vineyards
Vines that do not have a trellis system; the vines hang down often as far as the ground. Called bush vines and they are typically head-trained and spur-pruned. not suitable for mechanical harvesting.
Trellised vineyards
Each row of vines requires a line of posts joined by horizontal vines, the vine’s canes and shoots are then tied to the trellis. (canopy management) This helps control sunlight, improve air circulation, and aid mechanization.
Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP)
Used with replacement cane or spur pruned vines. The vine’s shoots are trained vertically and are tied in place onto the trellis forming a single narrow canopy.
Budburst
March-April (N. Hemi) Sept-Oct (S. Hemi) Start of growing season, begins when daily temps exceed 10 degrees C. Exact timing can depend on grape variety. E.g. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are early budding, which Cabernet S is late budding.
Early Shoot and Leaf Growth
March-May (N. Hem) Sept-Nov (S. Hem) Shoots grow rapidly until the vine flowers, first by the vine’s carb reserves and then via photosynthesis as the leaves mature.
Flowering and Fruit Set
May-June (N. Hem) Nov-Dec (S. Hem) When the inflorescences start flowering the vines need warm temps, plenty of sunshine and little or no rain otherwise pollination can be disrupted, reducing fruit set. Fruit set occurs when the flower starts to develop into a grape.
Veraison and Berry Ripening
July-Sept (N. Hem) Jan-March (S. Hem) After fruit set there is a period of 8-6 weeks when the grapes start to grow. Veraison signals point when grapes begin to ripen. Between veraison and harvest, grapes swell and fill with water. During ripening grape sugar levels rise and the acid levels drop. Warm and sunny conditions are ideal.
Green Harvesting
Removal of a proportion of grape bunches may take place shortly after veraison to control yield and improve fruit quality. Not all growers use this technique.
Harvest
Sept-Oct (N. Hem) March-April (S. Hem) Ideally harvest period is dry. Excess rainfall before can cause grapes to swell, diluting the juice, and damp conditions can increase the risk of rot.
Winter Dormancy
Dec-Mar (N. Hem) July-Sept (S. Hem) As the weather gets colder, growing season ends and a period of winter dormancy begins. Shoots become woody and from this point are known as canes. Leaves fall and the vine stores its reserves of carbs in the roots. Winter pruning takes place.
