Tagged with "Loire valley vineyards"

I always talk about the decimation of vineyards that followed after Phylloxera came to Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century.

December is a busy time for growers as they turn to pruning their vines. A most important task as this sets the vines up for the coming year.

Vines in the region are weeping as they come out of dormancy. Baby vines are already at the wooly bud stage but more established and older vines are not.

Downy mildew is indigenous to north-eastern North America where it spread from wild vines into cultivated vineyards. It probably came over to Europe during the phylloxera crises when native American rootstock were being tested for their resistance to the disease that wiped out around two thirds of Europe’s vineyards.

There are a number of vineyard practices that are routinely done in the Springtime and in recent years we have seen more and more growers working their soil mechanically instead of using chemicals. So what exactly is décavaillonnage?

Pruning is a vital task during the vineyard year that controls yield and keeps vines manageable during the growing season.