While distillation time will be over at march 31st, pruning and binding the vines are still under way. Whatever the weather, morning frost, rainy day, cold wind, day after day, hooded women and men work in vineyards, as Carole in her vines last march on the first image.
Pruning is a key work in vineyards cycle. Each gesture is important as it really engages the grow up and health of the vine, the quality of the harvest… Pruning is quite over, here’s time for binding just before buds burst.
Most of the time, cutted branches remain between the rows and then are grinded to fertilize soil.
Pneumatic tools are a great help for theses operations, requiring however, some physical strength and patience. Hundred and hundred hours are necessary, depending of course of the surfaces.
Traditional pruning and binding method in cognac vineyards is arch-trained or horizonally-tied “double Guyot ” and “Guillot-poussard”. A long branch with 8 at 10 buds is kept on each side of the trunk.
If it seems to be simple,gexperience is needed to be efficient. When you are in front of your first frapevine, pruning shear on hand, it’s not so easy to start,even if you have carrefully listened the explanations… At first time, I had the unpleasant feeling that the vine did not look like what I have learned !
At the end of the rows, vans and cars are used as rear base for material and mobile cafeteria : french saucisson, home made “pâtés”, bread, cheese, hotdishes in a box and beverages, essential to get through the day. We are in France…
And to know more on the vine cycle
