A good, professional haircut

Pruning is complete!  We all say that with a sigh of relief---especially Amy.  With her editing the American edition of the French wine book she works with, tasting hundreds of wines and reviewing each for this year's edition, and pruning all of their vineyards, the beginning of her year has been busy.
For those of you who knew we were coming to prune, here is the process.

The vines, after being picked last fall, reveal that they really have had a bad hair day.  The tendrils cling to the wires supporting them and the canes intertwine along these wires and amongst other canes to create a maze of growth.







Molly and I went along and pre-trimmed the vines leaving the vine looking like it had a fresh, spring butch hair cut.  The canes are thrown into one row in order that Matt can mulch them.

And following us came the real pruners---Joe, Amy, Axel (our neighbor), Matt and Billy who did he final trimming.  The buds on the vines are ready to burst with some warm weather and the fresh cuts dripped clear liquid sap.

 

 The final pruning needs many decisions.  There should be only six healthy shoots remaining, if possible the shoot should be the lowest on the branch in order to make it stronger, and it should be cut on the third bud up from the stem.

The vines are now just the bones of what will be.  They march row after row in the fields waiting for the warmth of the sun.  Meanwhile, the yellow of the dandelions shines in each row.

 

 And the little abandoned house in the vineyard is alive with forsy(n)thia.

I hope that the sun is warming your earth and that you all had a wonderful Easter/Passover.

Bisous, 

Cindy