Each Winter, as the vines lay dormant, we commence the long and careful process of pruning our estate vineyards. This is a judicious undertaking that evolves over many weeks, and will shape the upcoming vintage.

The first passthrough in the pruning process commences in early January, and involves removing a majority of the previous vintage’s growth. These gnarled canes (the woody remnant’s of last year’s shoots) are lopped off, leaving only two canes per vine behind. This work repeats, row by row, throughout the vineyard.

Once the canes have been cut we are able to retrace our steps down the rows, pulling the loose brush out from the wires, and laying them in the middle of the rows of vines. These will later be flailed into smaller pieces and allowed to decompose back into the soil.

The two remaining canes are then tied down to the catch wire, in a “T” formation, to form the base from which the upcoming season’s shoots will grow. The decisions we make throughout this process will determing the yield, and ultimately quality of the next vintage’s fruit.

 To learn more about Furioso’s two estate vineyards, head to https://furiosovineyards.com/the-vineyards/

Photos by Mick Hangland Skill: https://www.mickhs.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/mick.jpg/