Winemaking Terms Defined: In the Vineyard—Vineyard Management

viticulture  the study and practice of growing grapes.

Viticulture can be a very complex subject that requires years of study and experience to know well. We cover only a few highlights here (terms are not in alphabetical order).

Equipment used in the vineyard:

refractometer  a device used to measure the Brix value (sugar level) of grapes or juice. It is easy to use in a vineyard because it works with only a few drops of juice. (Note: refractometers don’t work for general winemaking because they are no longer accurate once alcohol is present.)

trellis  a support system for grapevines, consisting of vertical posts set firmly in the ground with horizontal wires connecting them.

The goal of managing a vineyard:

vine balance  to allow each vine to produce only as much fruit as it can sustain to ripeness. If all the growth of a growing season were left on a vine with no human intervention at all, the vine would overcrop (produce more fruit than it could handle) and limit itself in short order.

What a vineyard needs from humans to achieve balance:

vineyard management  choices made that affect grapevine health, yield and quality. Includes canopy management, irrigation, application of pesticides, fungicides and fertilizer, weed control, netting or alarms to prevent bird damage, harvest date, etc.

canopy management  manipulation of the grapevine itself, including trellising (following a trellis system), vine training, and pruning.

trellis system  a pattern followed for attaching vines to trellis wires. The configuration used depends on variety, climate and harvesting practices. There are scores of trellis systems, with names like Four-arm Kniffen, Geneva Double Curtain (GDC), Smart Dyson, Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) and many more.

vine training  pruning and training the main trunk and canes of a vine to reduce the number of canes or buds. Also known as dormant pruning because it is done in winter or early spring. Depending on the variety and its growth habits, one of these types of training is used:

cane-pruned  there is no permanent cordon kept until the next year; new canes are selected during pruning each year.

spur-pruned  usually means the cordon is kept from year to year, resulting eventually in a thick, gnarled cordon. Canes growing from the cordon may be spur-pruned down to 3-4 buds or to 6-7 buds, depending on the system.  

summer pruning  cutting or trimming back parts of a vine’s canopy to make adjustments or corrections during the growth season, including:

suckering  removing green growth, including root zone suckers, trunk growth suckers and cane growth suckers. Done to ensure enough sun exposure to ripen the fruit, while allowing enough leaves to remain to shade the fruit from sunburn and to support photosynthesis for the plant. This also allows air circulation to help avoid disease, and further reduces yield.

green harvest  removal of unripe or secondary grapes.

Problems in the vineyard:

frost damage  a late spring frost can kill buds or flowers, or an early autumn frost can shorten the growing season before grapes ripen.

shatter  failure of fruit to set because the flowers were not pollinated, or the loss (dropping off) of immature or mature fruit because of cold or wet weather.

fungus  the cause of powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot and a host of other diseases.

plant viruses  the cause of plant diseases such as crown gall. Viruses may be carried by insects, nematodes, or by grafting infected stock. There is no cure. Management includes removal of diseased wood and training new growth for trunks.

Pierce's Disease  a bacterial disease that affects grapevines. Named after the scientist who identified the disease in 1892, it is spread by insects known as sharpshooters. The bacteria cause a gel to form in the xylem (water conducting channels) of the vine, preventing water from being drawn throughout the vine and eventually killing it.

phylloxera  (fill-OX-uh-ruh or fill-uk-SEE-ruh) a tiny aphid-like insect that feeds on grapevines and creates galls (swollen areas containing a female and her eggs). Grapevines are damaged when the insect attacks leaves, but can be killed when the insect attacks vine roots. Vinifera roots are susceptible to it, whereas most native American varieties are immune. To overcome this, vinifera vines are often grafted onto American rootstock.

Special thanks to Tom and Marcy Mitchell of Pa’tridge Run Farms and Fall Bright, the Winemaking Shoppe, for their help with this article. For more information or to order winemaking supplies, see their website fallbright.com, visit them at 10110 Hyatt Hill, Dundee, NY, or call 607-292-3995.   

Other sources for this article: www.nysaes.cornell.edu; plants.usda.gov; April-May 2010 WineMaker magazine.

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