2.1.1.e Pruning organization

How long does it take to prune a vineyard?

The time spent pruning will depend on the type of pruning carried out, as some methods take longer than others.
Simple Guyot is faster than double Guyot for example. Cordon pruning is also quick.
The cut canes can be removed at the same time. Whilst this slows down pruning progress as additional time is required to make the bundles of cuttings, it avoids another pass just to remove the wood.

A few examples:

• At Château Grillet (Arched pruning), pruning and the removal of canes are performed together, with an objective of 500 vines per day.
• At Château Latour, the minimum is 700 vines per day when pruning Guyot style and 800 to 900 for Cordon de Royat.
• At Eisele, a 6-person team prunes and dresses wounds on 0.6 hectare per day.

Are there periods when it is best to avoid pruning?

One should always wait until the vines' leaves have fallen before starting pruning. Periods of frost and heavy rain should then be avoided whenever possible to reduce the risk of disease.

Which plots should be pruned early or late?

Zones most prone to frost should be pruned last to reduce the risk of damage from early frosts.
The remaining plots could be pruned early, if, for example, this suits the grape varieties or if it is a zone where budburst occurs later. For smaller areas of vines, the variations between plots will be less significant, so the pruning order may not matter.