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Pruning, an important stage in the vine growth cycle

For nearly three months now, Adelaïde, Françoise, Maria, Marie-Christine, Marie-Pierre, Arménio, Cédric, Gilles, Mathieu and Philippe have been taking advantage of the period during which the vines are at rest to go round the estate’s 47.6 hectares (117.5 acres) and prune each vine. They pruned around 270,000 vines between 26 November 2019 and 20 February 2020!

An essential stage before the first buds begin to break, pruning is performed with meticulous care by a skilled team of vineyard workers. It has three purposes:

– to inhibit the vine’s natural growth;

– to limit the number of buds, adapting it to the vigour of each vine;

– to limit the number and size of future grape clusters.

There are several different pruning methods. At Château de Sales we use simple or double Guyot pruning, or a mixture of both, depending on the parcels and the vinestocks.

Did you know?

In early spring, after a good winter’s rest, the sap starts to rise in the vinestock. This period is called the “renewal”. You can see the vine “weep” from the pruning cuts as the sap trickles along the wood like a tear.

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A loyal and experienced team!

From left to right:  Adélaïde, Marie-Pierre, Françoise, Marie-Christine and Maria