The vine needs attention all year round, including during the summer: it doesn’t take a vacation, unlike us! After the pruning and training done in winter, spring and summer bring the green work on the vine. These tasks help the plant maintain its vigor and produce higher quality grapes.
Treatments against diseases and pests
It is when the grape clusters start to appear that they are most fragile. That’s why it is important, whether the cultivation is organic or not, to treat the vines against diseases and insects. The two most common diseases are powdery mildew and downy mildew. The first is favored by temperature differences between day and night and is therefore much more likely to appear in spring and summer. These are fungi that form white spots on the leaves. Milk or sulfur are two effective natural methods to combat powdery mildew. Downy mildew, on the other hand, shows up as brown spots and white mold along with leaf wilting. It can be treated with baking soda, copper-based products, or nettle manure. Growers who are not organic will use chemical products in both cases. Note that rain and humidity in general promote the spread of these diseases.
Trimming
To allow the vine to be more aerated and the grape clusters to ripen more easily, the winemaker will carry out trimming. The shoots will be cut so that they do not extend beyond the rows and so that the grapes benefit from more sunlight. This also makes it easier for seasonal workers and machines to move through the vineyard rows.
Debudding or shoot thinning
The next step is debudding, which means manually removing the small shoots called "suckers" that grow directly on the vine trunk. It is necessary to remove them because otherwise they can hinder the growth of other shoots and even the fruit. This also reduces the amount of vegetation and thus the risk of certain diseases developing. Finally, these small shoots will not be useful when pruning the following winter, unlike those located on the upper part of the vine trunk.
Tying and lifting
The layout of vineyards depends on the regions and the types of vines planted there. For example, in Burgundy, they grow around wires connected to stakes, which allows them to receive maximum sunlight. This arrangement makes the vineyard landscapes very aesthetic, but it requires maintenance. Indeed, it should not be forgotten that the vine is a climbing plant and if it is not regularly cared for, it will grow in all directions.
So, when the vine regrows after winter, the shoots are directed in a particular direction by tying them to the wires using staples or ties. This is called tying.
Then comes lifting. This is a second pass to secure again in the wires everything that has grown since the tying. This can also be done several times depending on how fast the vine grows. The more it rains, for example, the faster the shoots will grow back, and they will need to be trimmed and secured in the wires again.
Green harvest
This step is not systematic but is sometimes done during July. It involves the winemaker cutting some of the grapes while they are still green if they are unnecessary. This is also the case when the vine has too many grapes: only the best will be kept to have a higher quality harvest. Usually, those that are damaged, too far from the trunk, or malformed will be removed.
This technique ensures that the vine has the capacity for the grapes to reach their ideal ripeness. Indeed, too many clusters per vine tend to exhaust the vine, and the grapes will also be less concentrated in sugar and more acidic.
Leaf thinning
Usually in July, the winemaker will carry out leaf thinning, the last step before the harvest. This means removing some leaves, those at the height of the grapes, and only on the east side of the vine (the side of the rising sun). This allows the clusters to be better exposed to light and more aerated. Leaf thinning also reduces the risk of fungal proliferation and makes the harvest easier later on. Leaf thinning is mainly practiced in cool and humid regions.
Care must be taken not to remove too many leaves because they are essential for photosynthesis. They also protect the grapes, preventing them from burning in the sun.
The harvest
In August, it is generally time for the winemaker to take a little rest. Indeed, all that remains is to wait for the grapes to ripen. Depending on the regions, as seen in a previous article, but also the years and the weather, the harvest will be earlier or later. To determine the date, the winemaker regularly samples grape clusters. The harvest usually takes place between the end of August and the beginning of October.
