PRUNING

Pruning vines is a delicate task which must be carried out with the utmost care. Vines can be greatly affected by pruning; if it is not done properly, it can have a negative impact firstly on the impending vintage, and then on the future and life of the vineyard itself. Our objective is to increase the life span of our vines, this is one of the fundamental principles of our philosophy and our approach to the ecosystem in our vineyards.

Our approach to pruning is based on respecting the natural lymphatic flow of the vine and keeping large cuts on the old wood to a bare minimum.

We observe the phases of the moon and prune when they are most favourable, according to the farming calendar.

TENDING THE SHOOTS

From mid to late April, we carefully remove a lot of the excess shoots which do not bear fruit by hand, ensuring more balanced growth and production. At the same time, we thin out the leaves to create a ventilated microclimate which discourages fungal diseases from developing.

GREEN MANURE – COVER CROPS

After the grape harvest, when the must has almost been transformed into wine, we begin preparing the soil to sow our green manure. This helps keep our soil fertile, it adds complexity to the ecosystem and attracts numerous insects which help maintain the right balance in the animal life in the vineyard.

We sow a mixture of different varieties belonging to several plant families: different species of cereals, a large percentage from the leguminose, cruciferae and hydrophyllaceae families (rye, triticale, oats, barley, vetch, proteic peas, clover, white mustard, horseradish, turnip rape, rapeseed and phacelia). When the crop flowers, roughly after mid-May, we cut it down and the remains are incorporated into the soil, enriching it with organic substance.

If the soil is healthy and living, the vines yield the finest grapes!

HARVEST

All the hard work of the year culminates in the harvest, a moment when the whole family comes together and celebrates.

We love being hands on, so we harvest our grapes manually at the coolest times of the day!