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VINE TALK
February 2021
Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Vine Talk" by owner and second generation grape grower, Phil Davis. Each month we intend to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at winemaking through the vineyard lens.
If there is anything you're curious about, please let us know and we may include it in a future edition: info@damianiwinecellars.com
WHY WE PRUNE THE WAY WE DO
We advocate spur pruning wherever possible, as opposed to cane pruning, due the tendency of vinifera towards apical dominance as regards buds starting and thriving as fruit bearing shoots over the course of the growing season.
Apical refers to the first few buds and last couple buds on a cane. Since I only grow fruit on thriving shoots it behooves us to try to have a greater percentage of shoots that grow be thriving.
By spur pruning, two to four bud spurs, as opposed to ten to twelve bud canes, I am creating a greater potential for more thriving shoots to develop as the spurs represent the apical situation discussed above.
I typically leave four bud spurs so when we go through the vineyards in June and shoot thin we have the choice of selecting the two best growing shoots per spur.
Growing cool climate vinifera, especially on the red side of things, and achieving optimal ripeness to allow us to create the elegantly nuanced wines that we produce is truly a work of art that starts in the vineyards. The photos shown are from my favorite Pinot Noir vineyard, Davis Vineyard.
- Phil Davis
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