THE WORK IN THE VINEYARD: WORKING THE SOIL

The work in the vineyard never stops: season after season we see an alternation of activities that follow all the stages of the vegetative cycle of the vine. Year after year, everything in the vineyard repeats at regular intervals: the months from March to October are the most intense, followed by a rest period that goes from November to February.
We will now discuss the work that needs to be done in the vineyard as the months go by, to ensure that the vines produce excellent grapes which, first in the cellar and then in the glass, are reflected in the flavours and aromas of the wine. Actual times can change a little depending on latitude, grape variety and vintage.

1. Soil management in the vineyard

Soil management can consist of different cultivation techniques, which are applied differently depending on the wine-growing area. Their aim is to control weeds, improve the physical and biological properties of the soil and positively influence the vegetative and productive balance of the vine. In general, the techniques used are:

• working the soil: carried out by machine, using grubbers, hoes, tillers and harrows. It helps to mix in fertilisers, eliminate weeds and control the water balance of the soil;
  
• non-cultivation: non-cultivation, or no-tilling, is a technique that consists of chemical weed control applied over the entire vineyard surface. The positive aspects of this solution include lower running costs and savings in working hours;
  
• grassing: this consists of obtaining an herbaceous cover of the area of interest of the vineyard using herbaceous essences, either spontaneous or sown. Grassing management requires a lot of mowing, watering and additional fertilisation. The positive aspects of grassing are, for example, the containment of erosion in the case of sloping soil, the possibility of entering the vineyard with tractors even in difficult weather conditions, and the reduction of issues caused by water stagnation.

2. The seasonal activities in the vineyard

Starting from January, the first activity in the vineyard is winter pruning. This may also be started in November or December and will last until March. It is carried out both on production vines and on younger specimens. For production vines, on the one hand dry pruning helps to find the right balance between grape production and vegetation (i.e. leaves and shoots), while on the other it ensures that during vineyard activities the plants are not an obstacle to people, equipment and machinery.
With the budding of the vines, already in March it will be possible to carry out some green pruning on production plants.
April to June is the period for managing the vineyard soil. This entails a range of activities that control the vigour of the vines and the quality of the grapes. Weeds are kept at bay, while the soil condition is maintained or improved, and activities are carried out to make the transit of people and machinery through the vineyard easier.
In the vineyard, harvesting begins in August and can continue until October: this is the time when work in the vineyard is at its most intense. It’s the time to reap the fruits of all the hard work of the previous months. Together with pruning, harvesting is the most time demanding (and most expensive) task of every winemaker. Like pruning, also harvesting can be done manually or using mechanical means. in the former case, shears remain the ideal tool for cutting the stalks of the grapes.
Once harvesting is over, between November and December the leaves of the vines lose their chlorophyll and fall off, and the plants begin their winter dormancy period. This is the time to protect the vines from the cold, and at the end of the year it is already possible to start the cycle again with winter pruning.

3. Inter-row hoeing

The row rotary hoe is used to work the soil, specifically to break and mix the surface layer.
Tilling is the stage during which a plot of land is prepared for ensuring a better harvest. This operation can take advantage of specific agricultural machinery, such as rotary hoes . For small plots of land it is possible to resort to hand tilling. A hoe with pointed tip is recommended to break through compact soil, while a large and rounded tip is a better choice for medium-textured soils.

4. Vineyard grassing

Vineyard grassing is an effective technique that can be used to manage the space between the rows by planting a grass cover. This is an alternative to inter-row hoeing, which is however still a very common solution for the management of vineyard soil.
Grassing is nevertheless now widely used, especially in regions with heavy rainfall, to protect sloping vineyards from erosion. It’s particularly popular in the North of Italy, although it has also extended to other areas, both to protect the soil, but also as a way to regulate the productivity of the vines. To find out more about how to cut the grass in this specific situation, read here.