By far the most time consuming process in our vineyards is the pruning, which starts in the late autumn and continues throughout the winter, almost until bud break in early spring. As I have explained many times before, pruning is a really tough, backbreaking task. The procedure itself has not really changed too much for years, but some of the materials that we use have evolved just a little to make the job just a bit easier. For example, it’s not that many years ago our guys would use willow plant cuttings to attach the canes to the wires of our overhead pergolas (see photo). Of course, it is obviously more desirable to use a natural material to tie the vines, but there is a major downside to this – the amount of time it takes. It is painfully slow to attach the canes by hand, knotting each piece of willow individually. This system has inevitably been streamlined by machinery.

In all honesty, we usually don’t get too much opportunity to use any mechanised equipment under our pergolas, but in the case of the tying, we now have battery operated machines that enable one man to do the work of four people, when compared to the old method of attaching the vines. Labour is singularly the greatest cost element of our grape production and so I’m afraid to admit that the decision to use this modern method for tying is quite simply a “no brainer”.

By far the most time consuming process in our vineyards is the pruning, which starts in the late autumn and continues throughout the winter, almost until bud break in early spring. As I have explained many times before, pruning is a really tough, backbreaking task. The procedure itself has not really changed too much for years, but some of the materials that we use have evolved just a little to make the job just a bit easier. For example, it’s not that many years ago our guys would use willow plant cuttings to attach the canes to the wires of our overhead pergolas (see photo). Of course, it is obviously more desirable to use a natural material to tie the vines, but there is a major downside to this – the amount of time it takes. It is painfully slow to attach the canes by hand, knotting each piece of willow individually. This system has inevitably been streamlined by machinery.

In all honesty, we usually don’t get too much opportunity to use any mechanised equipment under our pergolas, but in the case of the tying, we now have battery operated machines that enable one man to do the work of four people, when compared to the old method of attaching the vines. Labour is singularly the greatest cost element of our grape production and so I’m afraid to admit that the decision to use this modern method for tying is quite simply a “no brainer”.