RAISING THE VINE
"Let's cultivate our garden"
Voltaire
A SUPPORT
The vine lives to the rhythm of the seasons, all year round we support it in its revelation.
AFTER THE HARVEST. THE VINE LOSES ITS LEAVES.
1 / WINTER
The winter will be mainly devoted to pruning the vines.
The precise gestures of pruning are not left to individual initiative, but have been regulated since 1938. It is the only AOC which regulates this area so rigorously,detailed and complete.
A founding act for the vine
Among the work of the vine, pruning is the founding act, because it is on its precision, its intelligence that the quality of the harvest will depend. It induces vigor,
fertility, maturity of the vineand conditions its development and fulfillment. This is the first operation after the harvest.It begins as soon as the leaves fall.
THE 4 CHAMPENOISES SIZES
The regulations provide for the authorization of 4 types of size.
- Chablis pruning:short pruning on a long frame.
-The cord and permanent cord size:short pruning on single long frame.
- The Guyot pruning:long pruning on a short frame, which can be single, double or asymmetrical.
- Marne Valley pruning (only for the miller): Long pruning on short frame.
2 /SPRING
Vegetation resumes its cycle. The stakes are high, the months and the work to come will be the guarantee of the harvest to come.The maintenance of the vine is daily, the attention of the winegrowers permanent. The green works are intended to control yields and promote quality.
DISBUDDING
In mid-May.The operation consists in eliminating all the non-fruiting buds (known as “greedy”)that grow on old frames and risk diverting sap from the main buds. This is again a manual operation that is done in several passes and calls on the judgment of the winemaker.
LIFTING
At the end of May.The branches grow up to 50 cm.At this time, it is necessary to raise them and keep them in this vertical position by means of lifting wires located about 30 cm above the supporting wires.
The vertical position of the vegetation gives its architecture to the vine.
It also allows the passage of men. It is a difficult operation because the branches are not all the same length and some are not vertical.
3 /SUMMER
trellising
In June, trellising consists of separating the branches from each other and keeping them in their ordering by threads and staples. It prevents the sheets from being packed on top of each other,so that they get as much sun as possible and benefit from good ventilation, preventing them from rotting.
This is a fundamental operation for the Champagne vine, because its high planting density generates a large leaf surface which needs to be spread over the entire length between 2 feet and the entire height (up to 1m40).
The operation is totally manual and very long.
TRIMMING
In summer, the "summer pruning", trimming.
It begins at the end of June-beginning of July, before or after flowering and lasts until the harvest.An essential operation in Champagne, trimming avoids the predominance of vegetation over fruiting.
3 /FALL
Each year has its harvest
Each harvest is different from the previous one, in terms of ripeness of the grapes, degree of acidity and degree of alcohol. It is imperative to choose the right time for harvesting.
One objective: the extraction of the pulp
Champagne wine must be produced from the sole pulp of the grape:
- the constituents necessary for organoleptic quality and foaming are in the center of the grape berry, in the pulp (sugars, acids, etc.)
- 3/4 of Champagne wines are extracted from black grapes. To preserve their white color, it is essential to avoid the extraction of the black color present in the skin of the grapes.
The peculiarities of this vinification explain that the bunches of grapes must be picked whole and intact. They must arrive whole at the press, in special boxes to prevent maceration.
Finally, to avoid too long transport, the presses are located in the vineyard.
The harvest is entirely manual
The harvest remains traditional, because the constraints of respect for the grapes are the same as in the 18th century.
The harvest period is about 3 weeks. It is linked to the very short duration of optimal maturity of the grape. In addition, the different Champagne grape varieties reach maturity almost simultaneously.
There are 120,000 pickers or 4 per hectare. Nearly 100,000 seasonal workers are housed and fed each year by the winegrowers and the houses. The teams of pickers are called “hordons”.
HARVEST PROFESSIONS
- picker
- carrier of small baskets
- cashier
- manual truck loader
- quay man handler
- transport vehicle driver
- driver
- pressurer
- winery employee
- to cook
- etc...
Source: Champagne Committee
