July
Stephen Doyle
Windy, wet and freezing. Rain = 80 mm. Temp = 4.5 degrees C.
July and August are the months for the bulk of the vineyard to be pruned.
Depending on the variety, we aim at 50,000 buds per hectare for Cabernet and up to 65,000 for Malbec. This will give us the potential for yields between 5.0 and 7.5 tonnes per hectare. If you're looking for quality, and as a wine grower today you have no other option, balancing fruiting potential through pruning levels is where it all starts.
Of course your bank manager will be interested in making sure that they have a reasonable return on your investment, so it's a good idea if you are still talking to use terms like "down-sizing the vegetative interface" rather than the technically more descriptive "dropping the crop". (N.B. On no account allow the accountant anywhere near your vineyard in July. The place will be bleak enough already!)
