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Our work in the vineyard |
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After the harvest, the
grapevines lose their leaves, making room for maintenance
of the plants. Winter will mainly be devoted to the
modelling the vines, which is called 'la taille'. In the
Champagne region 'la taille' is regulated. It starts as
soon as the leaves have fallen, it is interrupted from
mid-December to mid-January in order to respect the winter
rest period of the plants, and afterwards it starts again
until the end of March. Modelling ensures a smooth sap
flow to the fruit buds. It gives shape to the grapevine
and prepares subsequent work when the leaves begin to
grow, which is called "la taille en vert" (green
modelling). The winemaker will keep the leaf growth under
control, let the sunlight between the plants, and provide
good airflow around the grapes. In early April, after the
‘taille’, the tying of branches starts. The fast-growing
branches are placed around the load-bearing iron wires and
tied up with small iron wires or threads of bio-degradable
material. Around mid-May, when the plants begin to grow,
various activities are planned in order to guarantee the
yield and quality of the harvest. They are called "les
travaux en vert”. We remove all non-fruiting buds growing
on the old branches. It is manual labour, and we are going
repeatedly through the vineyard.
 Modelling the vines, which is called 'la taille' |