Fruit Set & Pruning
“90% of our winemaking happens before harvest.” - John Wrigley
A considerable amount of vineyard work happens in July when the fruit set is evaluated for each varietal and shoots are pruned down to the ideal number of grape clusters. If a shoot has too many clusters it will negatively impact the development of the fruit and result in thinner wine that lacks complexity of flavor.
Ideally Riesling shoots (those to the left of the post) will have no more than three clusters. Each Pinot Gris shoot (to the right of the post) should also have around three clusters, depending on the weight of each. Pinot Noir does best with fewer clusters, typically around just two clusters of grapes for each shoot!
“Wings”, small clusters that develop at the base of a primary cluster, will eventually be dropped, but the timing depends on the season. In warm years, wings will be left longer to retain the acid, while in cooler years the wings will be dropped earlier in order to help the fruit ripen.
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