Today I started to prune. Finally! Vinomaker probably thought I was never going to get started.I didn't prune a lot, I had school in the morning after all. I did all of our Orange muscat and a few of our Syrah vines. Even though I procrastinate every year, once I get started I thoroughly enjoy myself.
I love the decision making involved in pruning. Each vine presents a different challenge. I stand back, assess the plants vigour from the previous season, and prune accordingly. Each vine is an individual. Each vine demands that I recognise its potential. Each vine rewards me at harvest time.
You can see in the picture above that the pruned wood of the two vines look different. The redder wood is the Orange muscat. Vines also vary in the hardness of the wood. For instance, I always get blisters when I prune Cabernet sauvignon vines. Cab wood is so hard in comparison to other varietals.
In the picture you can see some powdery mildew scarring on the Syrah wood. A sign that our sulphur protocol may need adjusting this year. Furthermore, you can see that I didn't lose any fingers, at least not this time.
