Springtime in the Vineyard
Spring has officially sprung in the Adam Puchta Winery vineyards! The grass is getting greener and the vines are looking good. Part of the springtime maintenance of our vineyards includes monitoring vine growth and health as well as preparing the plants for a healthy harvest in the fall. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at springtime in the vineyard!
The APW Vineyard team working with our Estate Norton vines
Suckering the Vines
One of the main activities our vineyard crew has been focused on lately is suckering. Suckering is the process of removing the small shoots, also known as suckers, that appear on the trunks of grapevines in the spring following bud break. These shoots pull energy, water, and nutrients away from developing fruit. Our vineyard crew takes great care when performing this style of pruning since it is important to the development and longevity of a healthy vine. In the Adam Puchta Winery vineyards, this task is performed by hand to ensure the thorough removal of shoots and to check the health of all of the vines in the process.
The right time to do suckering is after bud break, which takes place between April and May. Any delays can cause the suckers to get larger, harden, and lignify, or become woody. Once they lignify, the suckers are more difficult to remove. Sometimes, suckering has to be repeated in the spring to keep the shoots from regrowing.
Other Springtime Vineyard maintenance
This spring, our vineyard crew is also planting lots of savannah grass to help with soil erosion and a few hundred vines of Vidal blanc. They will also be doing lots of weed maintenance, tending to vines that may have become damaged over the fall and winter, and pruning and fertilizing the plants. Currently, Adam Puchta Winery has a team of three dedicated professionals working in our ten acres of vineyards as well as taking care of the rest of the winery property.
