PRUNING
Pruning commences in the month following the harvest, as soon as the leaves start to fall, and continues until mid-December. It resumes in mid-January, after the winter dormant period, continuing until late March or such time as the vine reaches the four-leaf stage (when all pruning must cease). Pruning encourages the sap to flow towards the fruit-bearing buds, favouring a good balance of vigour and productivity. Pruning gives the vine its shape, avoiding tightly packed foliage so as to encourage photosynthesis and create space for air to circulate between the clusters. Pruning also regulates vine development, rejuvenating ‘leggy’ plants by hard pruning at regular intervals.
Pruning is the most fundamental of all the vineyard tasks. It is a purely manual activity which requires a specific training and a distinctive diploma. In Champagne, it has been regulated since 1938.
There are four approved pruning methods in Champagne:
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Chablis pruning
long pruning on long canes.
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Cordon and Cordon Permanent pruning
short – or spur – pruning, on a single unilateral long cane.
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Guyot pruning
long pruning on short canes which may be single,
double or asymmetric
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Vallée de la Marne pruning
(exclusively reserved for Meunier vines)
long pruning on short canes
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Whatever the method of pruning, the average maximum number of fruiting buds per vine must not exceed 18 per square metre of vineyard.
As pruning draws to a close in late March/early April, the next task – also manual – is to tie-up the vines before the onset of flowering. The shoots are wound around the supporting wires, so avoiding unruly growth and preparing the vines for summer maintenance.
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