March is a crucial month for every winegrower, a period of intense activity in which the foundations are laid for the next harvest. The days get longer, the sun starts getting warmer and the vines reawaken from their winter hibernation. Find out what we did in the vineyards in March!
Welcome March, and welcome back also to the rain that we had been waiting for for so long! This is a really busy month in the vineyard: we carefully observe our vines, ready to intervene with care and dedication to accompany them on the journey into the new season and towards the next harvest. Every action is crucial, and nothing can be overlooked or left to chance. The temperatures are getting progressively warmer, the days are getting longer and the vines are undergoing their normal vegetative recovery after the period of dormancy during the winter.
As we walk through the vineyards, we start to notice a phenomenon that is as fascinating as it is famous: a colourless, transparent sap slowly seeps from the freshly pruned shoots, indicating the resumption of root absorption activity. This process – which lasts about a month – reminds us of human tears, which is why it is known as “weeping of the vine”. As the temperatures rise (to around 7-12°C), these “tears” come to a natural and progressive end. The first budding phase, characterised by the bursting of the buds and the rapid vegetative recovery of the entire plant, now begins.
Towards the end of the month we turn our attention to green pruning (or suckering): a practice that consists of eliminating suckers (the shoots that grow below the root collar, the lowest part of the trunk, or near the roots) and water sprouts (the vigorous shoots that develop along the trunk). This procedure prevents unwanted development of the vine’s overall shape, simultaneously preventing it from distributing valuable resources to vegetative areas that are not strategic to our goal: the controlled and selected production of excellent quality.
When pruning is complete, we manually tie up the shoots: the fruit cane – the shoot from which the fruit shoots will develop – is tied to the wires that run between the posts to support the vines. This procedure is also carried out with the intention of “guiding” the growth of the plant, ensuring uniform vegetative development and balancing the production of grapes according to the Guyot training method: a training method which produces lower yields but guarantees excellent quality, due to the smaller number of buds on the fruit cane.
The only thing left to do is to shred the canes and shoots (known as “sarmenti”) that we have cut off and then bury them to add organic substance to our soil, providing an essential initial nutrient supplement, following this up with tillage. Soil rich in valuable substances ensures the healthy and constant development of every vine!
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