Seven degrees doesn't seem to be an amicable way to start the day, but this one was a sunny one. The snow was crunchy underfoot and there was no wind. Good day to commence pruning of my espaliered pear trees - much easier, somehow, than fruit trees growing "freeform".
Despite very cold winter days, the grape vines on Johnson Estate's 110 acres are being pruned from dawn to dusk. Little by little, the crews are making their way around the farm, pruning first the hardy concord and labruscan vineyards before moving to the more delicate ones which are pruned last so that any winter damage is evident. Before they are pruned, the vines are shaggy with the growth of the previous summer's canes - a reddish brown, the color of cinnamon sticks. The happier the vines were the previous summer, the more the canes there are and the more lush the color.
Pruning, it turns out, is an art and many elements go into it. How old is the vine? How vigorous was last year's growth, are the main canes healthy? How much fruit does the winemaker want from the vineyard in the next season? The men and women holding the shears know the answers to these questions, usually, and somehow, almost instinctively, prune appropriately and quickly. Practice makes perfect, I am sure.
Despite very cold winter days, the grape vines on Johnson Estate's 110 acres are being pruned from dawn to dusk. Little by little, the crews are making their way around the farm, pruning first the hardy concord and labruscan vineyards before moving to the more delicate ones which are pruned last so that any winter damage is evident. Before they are pruned, the vines are shaggy with the growth of the previous summer's canes - a reddish brown, the color of cinnamon sticks. The happier the vines were the previous summer, the more the canes there are and the more lush the color.
Pruning, it turns out, is an art and many elements go into it. How old is the vine? How vigorous was last year's growth, are the main canes healthy? How much fruit does the winemaker want from the vineyard in the next season? The men and women holding the shears know the answers to these questions, usually, and somehow, almost instinctively, prune appropriately and quickly. Practice makes perfect, I am sure.
