Why Winter at our Vineyard in Provence is Busy
Come December and January; it’s wintertime at Domaine Mirabeau. Even if we are in Provence and the days are generally quite warm here, the nights are chilly and drop to sub-zero temperatures. The trees and vines have lost their last leaves. While it’s time for nature to sleep and repose itself, we, the Domaine Team, are kept busy! Pascal, our Domaine Manager, prunes the vines – we have 14 hectares to keep him busy.
Why Prune?
Pruning is a severe but beneficial part of a grapevine’s life cycle.
The pruning looks harsh, but we know grapes grow on one-year-old wood. Buds on older branches yield leaves or shoots. So, we get rid of the old branches to get fruit on every branch in the next growing season.
Another pruning occurs during veraison (fruit ripening period) in the summer. This is where the grape bunches are thinned out so that all of the bunches will be well-nourished (and not exhaust the vine), so they won’t be too crowded together, allowing air to move freely around them and keep them healthy.
Wine Pro Tip: Grapevine branches are great for BBQing! If you live near a vineyard, ask them to save you some branches next time they prune so you can use them in your BBQ pit.
Some Winter Recipes
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