Once pruned the vine shoots will be tied up, that means the shoots will be attached to the supporting wires, so avoiding unruly growth and preparing the vines for summer maintenance. Then we just have to wait for the breaking of the buds in the springtime.
6th April 2020: Tying up is ending today with a nice weather!
30th March 2020: the vine shoots, which give the fruits of the year, are tied up to the supporting wire with the "pince à lier"
23rd March 2020: We've ended pruning our vines with all necessary safety measures. A very important step, that enables vines to produce quality grapes, is now over ! We are now tying the shoots of all our vines.
27th February 2020: our pruned vines under snow! We can also see grass between the vine rows, and the cut shoots, which will be converted to mulch.
13th february 2020: on the left a vine with all its shoots, on the right a vine being pruned for Spring!
16th January 2020: Pruning is back in the Champagne Lopez martin vineyards!
Like all years, in winter, we prune the vines according to very precise legal rules from Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne which privilege quality. This step encourages the sap to flow towards the fruit-bearing buds, encourages photosynthesis and also regulates vine development, rejuvenating 'leggy' plants by hard pruning at regular intervals.
These pruning methods depend on the quality, the terroir and the grape variety. In Hautvillers, Premier Cru, we use the Chablis and Cordon de Royat methods.