Management of Vineyards

Trellising systems affect how strong and productive a grapevine will become and how much sunlight it will be exposed to. These factors affect how clusters and grape berries ripen. The trellis refers to the structures such as posts or wires that the grapevine is connected to. Some vines are permitted to grow free standing without being attached to a trellising structure. Strong and productive rootstock will develop very productive vines. These vines may be sufficiently productive for areas where five to ten tons of fruit per acre is the goal. This will result in the production of regular table wines. On the other hand, devigorating rootstock will result in less vigorous vines and may be desired by vintners who want a smaller crop and higher quality.

Crop yield is very important to the quality of a wine. The smaller the grape yield is for each acre, the more concentrated the juice will be. This is a major consideration in the cost of a wine. A vine will naturally attempt to ripen all of its berries. If it is bearing a large number of clusters, it will need to work longer and harder in order to provide the nutrients to ripen all the berries. If the vine has too many grapes it will tend to stop short of maturation will will lead to wines which will have an unripe flavor. As a result, quality producers spend much time in the vineyards pruning leaves so that more sunlight will reach the grape clusters. They will also eliminate the underdeveloped and less ripe clusters on the vine to guarantee even ripening.

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