The vineyard in Summer

 

Destemming or 'green harvest'

This operation allows the selection of the ideally located bunches (near the stock) and to control the final yield. The destemming will also have the effect of concentrating the sap on the remaining bunches and therefore to increase the quality.

 

Tying up

The foliage of the vine stock is spread which aerates the bunches in order to obtain good quality grapes.

 

Leaf stripping

This is the removal of the leaves situated around or below the bunches in order to clear them from the foliage for two main reasons:

- Firstly, a bunch needs to be well aerated so that it is less subject to rot and disease.

- Secondly, the leaf stripping enables to control the exposure of the bunches to the sun. One would prefer a leaf stripping to the rising sun (on the Eastern side of the plant) which does not exclude, if necessary, the need to strip both sides.

 

Topping

In order to limit foliage growth both sides and the top of the branches are pruned to the height of posts as a reference.
Being a creeper, the plant would very rapidly overrun the furrows without this intervention, preventing the various tasks of its cultivation.

 

Crop thinning

C’est une opération indispensable qui vise à détruire les rejets qui poussent à la base des ceps, encore appelés pampres, sagattes, bourgeons ou gourmands.
This essential operation aims at destroying the shoots growing at the bottom of the vine stocks also called vine branches. Without this intervention, these branches that do not bear any fruit are uselessly fed by the stock.
Moreover, they act as ladders for mildew which normally spreads from the base of the plant to the fruit bearing branches.