What happens in the vineyards in August? What does the winegrower do just before the harvest? Is it summer time for him as well? Surprise, August is dedicated to the harvest. But not the ones you hope for: the green harvest! As the winemaker never sleeps, Aveine offers you a little tour of a technique that is becoming more and more widespread.
A practice which allows to reduce the quantity of grapes
Indeed, as strange as it may seem, green harvests serve to reduce the quantity of grapes on each vine. The winegrower will cut off the excess bunches to allow a better ripening and concentration of the remaining grapes. Indeed, thanks to a lower yield, the remaining grapes will give a more concentrated wine.
An action to be carried out at the beginning of the ripening process
Usually from the end of July, the grapes begin to colour. This vegetative cycle is called “veraison”. It is at this time that the green harvest takes place. It is however necessary to pay particular attention to the date, because if the green harvest occurs too early, the vine will compensate by making the remaining bunches bigger and thus reduce the positive effects.
Green harvesting: a controversial technique
However, care must be taken with this technique. Widely used today, green harvesting is sometimes abusive and not always necessary. Some winegrowers claim that their use is a sign of poorly done upstream work, such as the pruning of the vines for example. Moreover, if this technique is used too much, it would increase the strength of the plant the following year which would resist.
This is what happens in the vines in August! If the subject interests you, don’t hesitate to subscribe for the newsletter here.
