After the rains at the beginning of June,
weather improved so pruning got well under way under sunny and cool conditions.
Our vines were formerly cordon-trained and spur pruned, but changed to cane
pruning a few years ago. This makes pruning slower, as there are often large
chunks of old wood that have to be sawn off. As the wood of Cabernet Sauvignon
is very sensitive to fungal diseases, especially when large cuts are made, I tried
to find ways to avoid the use of a saw.
At pruning you leave enough buds of last
year’s wood that you consider adequate. More buds means more fruit and less
vigorous shoots, which prematurely ages the vine. Too few buds yield less fruit
and more leaves. The leaves will shade the fruit, so the taste will be greener.
At the same time, you have to think in advance, about where you want next
year’s fruitful canes. If you leave only canes, you’ll need a bit of luck to
find a cane in the right position the following year. A spur will yield one or
two canes, so this is a practical way to ensure good canes for next year’s
pruning.
I decided to leave a few spurs per plant
(again) that should yield next year’s canes. This avoids much sawing, as you
use up the whole extent of the plant: canes wherever you seem fit, and spurs
wherever you want next year’s canes, instead of selecting the two or three best
canes and sawing the rest off. Hopefully this will work out, as future harvests
depend on this.
The question of spurs over canes can become
an almost doctrinal one, with firm defenders of either system. In my view, some
varieties, like Grenache or Syrah, need only short spurs, as longer canes will
bear more fruit than the plant can handle. Others, like Carmenère or table
grapes like Thompson Seedless, need long canes to bear any fruit at all.
Cabernet is somewhere in between. Especially in our case, with older plants derived
from cuttings from other, old, vineyards, canes are the only way to obtain a decent
crop. The plants have not been selected for fruitfulness, so yields tend to be
lower and less predictable than on plants derived from clonal stock.
That question over, we turned our attention
to the soil. We started by spreading manure in the vineyard, especially in
those parts that seem to be more in need of it. We bought the manure earlier
this year from farms around us, and it had composted really well. We’ll also be
trying several cover crops this year. Since we have no experience with them,
we’ll start out with a few trials. Cover crops are low growing plants that
cover the soil between the vines during the year or only during a part of it.
They are considered beneficial for the soil, avoiding erosion, adding organic
matter and increasing soil life. On the other hand, they can compete with the
vines for water and nutrients, which is potentially harmful. The issue is to
find a balance between the two: enough vigor on the vines and as much cover of
the soil as possible.
To grow our cover crops we’ve selected
three types of seeds. The first one is a mixture of native grasses that grow in
winter and dry up in summer, for which I have high hopes. The second mixture is
a classic: oats and vetch. The oats add much organic matter when ploughed into
the soil in spring and vetch fixes nitrogen, the most important nutrient for
grapevines and almost any other plant. The third is mustard, which grows
vigorously, so it increases organic matter in the soil when ploughed in, but
also antagonizes nematodes that live in the soil and feed on vine roots. The
effect is not studied enough, but certainly worth a try. We’ll also be adding
some wild flowers, for diversity and beauty. Of course these will be sown close
to the entrance, where everyone can see them!
The manure and cover cops lead me to the
third issue that has been busying my mind during the last few weeks: the one of
organic, biodynamic and sustainable agriculture.
Often people ask us if we haven’t
considered switching to organic or biodynamic agriculture. Our consultant,
Cristóbal Undurraga, manages his own vineyards biodynamically, so he would
certainly look favorably upon such a change in our vineyards. On the other
hand, I feel that at least a limited use of pesticides is justified when trying
to obtain better grapes. I’ve known a few producers that work their vineyards
according to organic or biodynamic principles, but will use occasionally some pesticide
when strictly needed. Even if the would not use pestcides, they don’t feel the
need to certify organic or biodynamic practices, as their customers know and
trust the quality of their wines. A producer I much admire for this, and the
quality of his wines, is Pierre Gassmann of Rolly-Gassmann in Alsace.
Another eye opener was the book “The
omnivore’s dilemma” by …. . In it, the author describes different food
production systems. It appears that many organic systems have become so large
in scale, and the rules imposed can be so non-sensical, that the whole spirit
behind organics (locally produced, seasonal, healthy food that doesn’t rely on
inputs from outside the farm such as pesticides or fertilizers) has gone lost.
The same goes for biodynamics: the founder, Rudolph Steiner, was against the
drinking of alcohol and wanted his followers to live in small, self-sustainable
farming communities. Now try explaining that to somebody who wants a glass of
Lagar de Bezana’s Aluvión after a hard day’s work at the office in Manhattan!
I think the processes we use are becoming
more and more environmentally friendly and sustainable, and it would be
interesting to find a certification for that. For the time being, you’ll have
to take my word that we’re trying our utmost to keep our workers, wines, vines and
soil healthy. Otherwise, come and find it out for yourself!