The harvest season is now behind us, with its intense pace and packed days. Winter brings a return to a calmer, yet equally crucial activity: pruning. This slow, thoughtful work, carried out vine by vine, is a key moment in the vineyard’s cycle. For us, it’s also the time when Eudes and Montaine train our teams in Soft pruning, sharing their expertise to prepare the vines for the challenges of the year ahead. Each cut of the shears is a precise gesture that has a lasting impact on the health and resilience of the vines
Vine wood is living tissue, with sap flowing through it to transport water and essential nutrients for the plant’s growth. Improper or overly aggressive pruning cuts can gradually kill parts of the wood, creating dead zones that disrupt sap flow. Soft pruning, by making precise and deliberate cuts, minimizes these wounds and helps maintain healthy, functional wood.
Image A = Ideal spurs and pruning techniques to prevent tissue necrosis
Image B = Living tissue that ensures efficient sap flow
A well-pruned vine keeps its sap channels active, allowing it to better mobilize its resources to defend against diseases, especially wood diseases such as Esca. By reducing pruning wounds, the plant remains better protected against fungal infections. In this way, Soft pruning strengthens the vine’s natural “immune system,” enabling it to defend itself more effectively.
With droughts becoming more frequent due to climate change, soft pruning plays a vital role. By preserving living wood and maintaining optimal sap flow, this method helps the vine better regulate its water reserves and continue functioning even under challenging conditions. This results in greater resilience to water stress.
Image C = Dead spurs caused by improper pruning
Image D = Necrotic tissue affecting sap flow
Soft pruning is fully in line with our regenerative practices, where every action aims to strengthen vine resilience and prepare the vineyard for the challenges of tomorrow. Beyond preserving vine health, it embodies a broader vision of our craft—one of sustainable, life-respecting agriculture. By caring for each vine today, we are building a living legacy to pass down, intact and resilient, to future generations.
To enter our website, you must be of legal drinking age in your country.