This is the final video of our four part pruning sequel (albeit that the final part is not so much pruning, but rather burning). Before I start I should say that we don’t always burn the vine cuttings, sometimes they are shredded and ploughed back into the soil. There are two factors that determine whether we do this or not.

The first is quite simple – if there is any trace of disease in the dead wood, then the cuttings will be burned without question. Secondly, is the soil analysis. Every year we have all the soils in our vineyards analised, and then simply treat according to what is required (always natural bio-treatments approved by ecological agriculture). One of the reasons that we don’t need to re-cycle vine cuttings every year (adding more organic material) is because we already feed the soil during the growing cycle. Because we allow grass to grow naturally between the vines, then obviously we have to cut it, and when we do the mulch that is formed often provides enough natural nutrient on its own. In effect, any additional treatments that we use are only by way of a supplement to this natural process.

(Please remember that today’s video was filmed out of sequence, before the onset of the current period of cold, wet weather!)

Perhaps you thought that I had given up completely on my series of pruning videos, but I hadn’t, it was simply a delay caused by the Galician weather! If you did see the first two videos then you will have noticed that they were filmed under beautiful blue skies – almost shirt sleeve weather. Since then it has been raining and cold, and simply not conducive to filming outside with a camera (my excuse). Unfortunately our guys had to plough on regardless, rain and all, the only shirker in this story was me.

Incidentally, when I eventually publish the last video (Part 4), you will see that it’s sunny again. And how do I know this? It’s just down to poor continuity – they were filmed out of sequence….

I need to quickly explain that my videos of the pruning process (with the exception of one) were filmed a week or so ago when the weather was really beautiful. What is the old saying? ‘Make hay when the sun shines’ – well, in this case it was make a video! 

Again, please remember that I am a comparative novice in the vlogging game, so please excuse all the mistakes – camera shake, rambling commentary etc. etc. It’s simply that watching a video is much more interesting and can explain the work much better than a few photos. As I have said before my plan is to use more video during 2018, and I have just ordered some new equipment to hopefully make this more convenient – more about that when it happens.

In the meantime, sit back and enjoy a man getting physical with vine cuttings!

I promised a month or two ago that I would post a video of our pruning process. This will actually be a series of 4 videos, explaining how the job is done, and will include some nice views of both the vineyards and surrounding areas. To be honest I have been waiting for a bit of decent weather, and last week we enjoyed beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine – not too hot during the day, and just above freezing at night, so prefect weather for the time of year, and prefect for pruning.

I would just like to mention that my ramblings (commentary) are completely unscripted and made up on the spot. Trying to frame the shot, focus, zoom and speak at the same time (using a big DSLR camera) was not easy, but at least the video is Hi Res. I apologise in advance for perhaps repeating myself a bit, and using some odd vocabulary, such as making “incisions” in the vines, when I really meant that David was simply “cutting” the vines. Odd how the camera makes you behave!

I did actually make a version using sound editing, overdubbing the original soundtrack, but losing the real background noises just made the video a bit dull and flat. So this is the original cut….. (The same video also appears on our website’s YouTube page)

Happy Thanksgiving…. to all our American friends around the world!
I believe that one of the traditions of Thanksgiving is to tell friends and family what you have been thankful for during the preceding year. Well, I can only say that I would be thankful that I wasn’t trying to get home on 405 freeway in California yesterday.