Vineyard management

Question 1

What are the factors a producer needs to consider when choosing a site to establish a new vineyard ?

Answer 1

Environment (average temperature, rainfall, fertility etc)
Practicalities (access to power, water, accessibility, price)
Grape variety (suitable for climate, demand, legislation)

Question 2

How long a life cycle do vines usually have ?

Answer 2

Vines can be very long-lived, but most are replaced when they are 30-50 years old.
Although old vines are thought to produce grapes with higher concentration of flavour, the yield decreases with age and the vine is increasingly susceptible to disease.

Question 3

What are the main techniques to manage the vine ?

Answer 3

Training
Pruning
Trellising
Density of the planting

Question 4

(Jord) ligger brak

Answer 4

(Land) is left fallow

Question 5

What does vine training mean ?

Answer 5

Usually it refers to the shape of the permanent wood.

Question 6

What are the 2 main categories of vine training ?

Answer 6

Head training

Cordon training

Question 7

What is the main difference between head and cordon training ?

Answer 7

The head trained vines have relatively little permanent wood, some only a trunk, whereas the cordon trained have a trunk with (normally) one or more permanent horizontal arms (cordons).

Question 8

Which category of training is best suited for machine harvesting ?

Answer 8

Cordon training with the sturdy permanent cordon.

Question 9

What are the two main styles of pruning ?

Answer 9

Spur pruning and replacement cane pruning.

Question 10

What is pruning ?

Answer 10

The removal of unwanted leaves, canes and pemanent wood.
Takes place every winter (determining the number and proper spacing of the next season’s buds) and summer. (to restrict vegetative growth, strip leaves etc)

Question 11

What is spur pruning ?

Answer 11

Spurs are short sections of one-year old wood that have been cut down to only 2 to 3 buds.
If distributed along a cordon: cordon training
if around the top of the trunk: head training

Question 12

What is replacement cane pruning ?

Answer 12

Canes are longer sections of one-year old wood and can carry 8-20 buds.
Typically only 1-2 canes retained, and typically tied horisontally to trellis.
1 cane: Single Guyot
2 canes: Double Guyot

Question 13

What is a trellis ?

Answer 13

Permanent structure of stakes and wires to support replacement canes (and the vine’s annual growth)

Question 14

What is a bush vine ?

Answer 14

Untrellised vines.
Typically head-trained and spur-pruned.
Good to give shade in warm or hot, dry sunny regions, such as the Southern Rhône and Barossa Valley in Australia.

Question 15

What is the typical type of training of vines in cool or wet regions like Beaujolais ?

Answer 15

Gobelet, the shoots of the head-trained, spur-pruned vines are tied together at the tips to enhance the effect of sunlight and air.

Question 16

What are the 3 main advantages of trellising the vine ?

Answer 16

1. Arrangement of the young shoots => Control of sunlight
2. An open canopy => Extra air circulation
3. Organisation of grapes in one area of the vine and leaves in another => Simplification of mechanical harvest (and spraying of incecticides or fungicides is more effective).

Question 17

What is VSP ?

Answer 17

Vertical shoot positioning.
Works with both spur-pruning and replacement cane-pruning.
Gives openness, air and minimizes shade.

Question 18

How does one counteract the vine’s natural tendency to produce lots of green vegetative growth in preference to fruit ?

Answer 18

High planting density means enough competition for resources among the roots to restrict the vine’s vegetative growth.

Question 19

Why is it important to control the number of buds after winter pruning ?

Answer 19

If there are too few buds, it will mean too vigorous growth.
Too many, will mean the vine will struggle to ripen its crop load.

Question 20

What are nematodes ?

Answer 20

Microscopic worms that attack the roots of the vines.

Cure: Sanitising the soil and using resistant rootstocks.

Question 21

Mention two common fungal diseases:

Answer 21

Downy mildew (copper-based spray (Bordeaux mixture))
Powdery mildew (trad. treated with sulfur-based spray)
Warm, humid environments. Can affect all green parts of the vine including the leaves and the grapes.

Question 22

When is budburst on the Southern hemisphere ?

Answer 22

September-October

On the Northern: March-April

Question 23

What and when is the first fase of the growing season ?

Answer 23

Budburst.

Generally when mean daily temperature exceeds 10 degrees.

Question 24

What and when is the second fase of the growing season ?

Answer 24

Early shoot and leaf growth
March-May (Northern)
September-November (Southern)

Question 25

What are the fases of the vineyard cycle ?

Answer 25

Bud burst
Early shoot and leaf growth
Flowering and Fruit set
Véraison and Berry ripening
Harvest
Winter Dormancy