Why Final Pruning is Critical?

 The last step in preparing for the grape growing season is final pruning. It is the last chance to coax the vine toward success. In January we completed long pruning by cutting the vines down to the first wire on the trellis. March final pruning results in the foundation for the growing season. We go through the vineyard again knocking off unwanted buds on each vine and keeping those that we want fruit to emerge. We cut off old growth and trim down to establish eight positions on the vine and two to three buds per position. This allows us to concentrate the vine’s growth, setting the table for a good harvest. Our goal is to produce 16 to 24 bunches of fruit per vine resulting in approximately 3 to 4 tons per acre. Of course, this is our target. There are many factors including wind during flowering, weather that can knock off flowers and new buds, and the final size of clusters and fruit weight which is dependent upon weather during the growing season.

Curt Dunham, winemaker discusses final pruning in this short video.