Spring has sprung for the seventh time at Sixmilebridge! As we usher in the new season, the estate teems with life. Seen from a distance, a vineyard looks much the same year after year. Upon closer inspection, growth is evident when measuring the circumference of the trunk.
Pruning wrapped up by mid-February. Our vineyard crew pruned back the prior year’s growth to main cordons, or the portion of the vine trained to trellis. The cordons are covered in buds, the node on a grapevine that houses growing points including fruit producing cells. You remove the dead wood and leave the number of buds that correspond to the yield in fruit you want. For Sixmilebridge, we farm for an average 2.0-2.5 tons to the acre.
We had some very warm days in January and part of February…resulting in bud break starting about 2 weeks earlier this year than in the last four years!
The coming months will tell us more about what kind of vintage we can expect in 2022. We are looking forward to a great growing season.