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Pruning

taille (F)
potatura mista (I)
pruning (GB)
poda (ES)

Important factor for the yield and quality of a wine. Without pruning, the vine would proliferate uncontrollably and from the buds of each of last year's shoots build up new stocks every year, which would spread out in tiers, while the lower stocks would become woody. Since grapes are only ever formed on one-year-old wood, pruning ensures a balance (physiological equilibrium) between yield (generative growth) and growth (vegetative growth) without producing too much old, unproductive wood. The choice of the appropriate method depends on the soil type (fertile-barren), the vine training (single vine, wire frame, pergola), the climate (humid-dry), the grape variety (fertility, tendency to coulure), the rootstock, as well as specific local conditions.

Rebschnitt -   Schneiden, Halbbogen biegen und am Draht befestigen

Timing

The ideal time for winter pruning is the last stage in the annual vegetation cycle, the winter dormancy (sap dormancy); in the northern hemisphere on frost-free days in early spring from January to February, in the southern hemisphere from July to August. After that, the annual vegetative cycle of the vine begins anew with budbreak. There are different methods, for which there are individual legal regulations in many wine-growing countries, mainly for the production of quality wines. These can vary depending on the wine-growing region or even in smaller areas (appellations) and sites; in Champagne, for example, four forms are permitted. In Friuli, the Simonit & Sirch method was developed, which assumes pruning only on young wood.

The most complex form is the manual pruning of the shoots with the vine knife or the pruning shears, which is the only way to work individually for each vine, as the growth form varies greatly between the individual plants. During the so-called winter pruning in January until the end of March at the latest, about 80 to 90% of the one-year-old wood is removed and cut away except for a maximum of two fruiting shoots. Depending on the weather, however, this can also be done very early in December; this is then called advent pruning. It is important that the number of eyes (buds) is not too high, so that the vine is not overburdened by excessive budding later on. The number of buds left on the vine depends on its vigour, which is highly dependent on the grape variety and environment.

Rebschnitt - Arbeiten im Weingarten

Types of pruning

A vigorous vine should be left with more buds. If the vine is weakly growing (many, but thin, short shoots), fewer eyes are left the next time. A good unit of measurement is the weight of the cut wood, leaving 30 eyes per kg of cut wood. Depending on the number of eyes of a shoot, it is called a rod, a stretcher or a tenon (see also under bows). In order to achieve the best possible ratio between quality and yield (~50 hl/ha), the rule of thumb is to leave 6 to 8 buds per square metre of vineyard (4 to 10 are also used). New fruit shoots emerge in spring from the eyes left on the one-year-old wood. In a video (click to view) from the DWI, the cutting and stapling (fastening) of a half-bow using tying pliers is clearly demonstrated and explained.

Another possibility is to prune all shoots evenly, which can also be done mechanically. Depending on the type of equipment, these are capable of cutting the one-year-old shoots to longer cones, extensions or canes at the desired height. The prerequisite is a stable, well-tensioned wire frame. However, this tends to produce only average qualities. Minimal pruning ( minimal pruned cordon trained) involves very little or no manual winter pruning. It is mainly practised in Australia with certain grape varieties. After flowering in June, summer pruning is carried out, in which the foliage walls are usually mechanically pruned into shape, laterally protruding shoots are topped, the upright growing shoots are summited, which stops the longitudinal growth of the main shoot by cutting off the shoot tips.

Early removal of the leaves in the grape zone is no longer common, as the still green grapes can be effectively protected from sunburn by the leaf shade (see under defoliation). This can then be done before harvesting to make it easier to cut off the grapes and to prevent botrytis infestation. In modern viticulture, the previously common practice of pruning, i.e. removing the stunted shoots (which form en masse especially after the summit of the main shoot), is no longer recommended as a matter of principle, since a higher leaf mass due to well-exposed stunted shoots is very conducive to grape quality through higher sugar storage. However, in this case the stingy grapes must be removed early.

Green harvest

Term (also green harvest; French vendange vert) for thinning out the grape clusters. This is done alternatively in July or August if there is too much grape for the desired wine quality. In this process, part of the still green grapes are cut away before the véraison (start of ripening), which means that fewer grapes and berries have to be supplied with nutrients and sugars by the leaves of the vine, so that more extract is formed overall and more sugar is stored per grape. This reduction in yield thus has a quality-enhancing effect on the remaining grapes. The physiological ripeness is also positively influenced. The winter buds mature earlier, the one-year-old wood lignifies in time, so that the winter hardiness of the shoots increases. If the shoots have already been reduced by hail, frost, blossom damage or the dreaded grape berry moth pest, thinning can be omitted. Especially for table grapes there is the special technique of ringing to obtain earlier ripeness and larger berries.

further information

See also under arch pruning (different shoot lengths), as well as complete lists of relevant information under the two keywords vine training (systems) and vineyard care (activities).

Cutting and half-bending: German Wine Institute
Working in the vineyard: Bassermann-Jordan - fotocredit by hans georg merkel fotografie

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