Posted on 13/01/2021
Life in the vineyard, month by month
It's the beginning of a new year, and we're all hoping that it's going to be just like all the others, except for the last one. But you're probably wondering what a winemaker's year is like... Well, now you are. Don't worry, I'm here to answer the questions you've been asking yourself, but especially the ones you haven't!
Like that of a plumber or a minister, the winegrower's year has twelve months. Let's go through them one by one, to get closer to the daily life of a wine-maker...
JANUARY: PRUNING UP!
The year begins with choices: how many grapes are we going to produce this year? And what quality? It all comes down to pruning the vines. The more wood you leave on your vine, the more bunches you'll produce, but the lower the quality of those bunches.
FEBRUARY FROM SMALL CUTTINGS TO GREAT WINE
The winemaker finishes pruning and takes cuttings for later planting.
MARCH A HORSE IN THE VINEYARD
Time to plough! The soil at the foot of the vines is cleared and sorted.
APRIL PLANTING AND TRELLISING
The cuttings have been planted. The shoots from the January pruning have already grown well. Now they need to be supported and oriented towards the sun. To do this, we hold them between wires. This will also make harvesting easier!
MAY: CARING FOR THE VINE
In spring, the winegrower ensures that his vines grow quietly. He ploughs a little more, pulls out weeds, sprays against possible vine diseases...
JUNE: SILENCE GROWS
The days grow longer and warmer. The winemaker admires the first grapes sprouting. He counts them with a ladle, to get an idea of the harvest to come.
JULY: AN EYE ON THE THERMOMETER
The winegrower is getting impatient as the harvest approaches, and the weather is now the determining factor. When the flowers appear, he knows he'll be able to harvest 100 days later!
AUGUST: BLOWING AND TINKERING
The fate of the harvest is almost cast. There's not much the winemaker can do, apart from a few "green harvests" here and there to optimize the bunches left.
SEPTEMBER THE GRAPE HARVEST AT LAST
Certainly the most exciting time of the year! The fruits of months of waiting and painstaking work are finally harvested! The rows are filled with delicate hands untying the bunches and placing them in the baskets.
OCTOBER: ALL TO THE WINERY
We ferment the juice, we "create" the wine we want to make this year. It's a very exciting time for the winemaker, but also a very stressful one.
NOVEMBER: READY TO HIBERNATE
The wine is transferred to the barrels, and the vines are kept warm under a few centimetres of earth.
DECEMBER: READY TO GO AGAIN
The winemaker congratulates himself on a year's work, prepares for the festive season and takes beautiful photos of his frozen vines.
