Wine Diary
Pruning in January: “Let me freeze...”
So far, the new year in the Kamptal has been consistently frosty. Temperatures well below freezing keep the vines in deep winter dormancy. This gives us time, because the cold extends the ideal window for pruning: removing the old wood except for a few one-year-old shoots or cones and laying the foundation for the development of the new foliage.
We work according to the principle of ‘sustainable pruning’. Our vines should be cared for with sensitivity and live as long as possible. To achieve this, for example, large wounds must be avoided wherever possible when cutting. They could easily become entry points for various diseases. The trained eye of the winegrower can also see the differences in the sap flow of a plant, leaving only the shoots that will be best nourished in the future on the vine and cutting them to the desired length limiting the potential yield at the benefit of best quality.
Pruning in in cold winter is demanding work, but our professionals often make it look like a meditative exercise. Everything happens in a flow, nothing seems rushed, and everything seems to follow an inner rhythm. The vineyards are only briefly disturbed from their winter slumber before sinking back into their cold sleep, like the “Cold Genius” in Henry Purcell's King Arthur.
