working in the vineyard during the winter months

Our work in the vineyard in the winter

The first work for the new wine season began for us immediately after the harvest with the sowing of the winter seeds. This consists of legumes, cereals and flowering plants.

The advantages of sowing are the build-up of humus, the natural supply of nutrients and, of course, the attraction of insects.

After the leaves fall in mid-November and the first frost days occur, we start pruning. Pruning lasts until mid-February, as around 35,000 vines have to be pruned. We practise low-wound pruning. (More about this next year)

At the end of February, we were also busy repairing the wire frames of the vines. That means mending and tensioning wires, replacing stakes...

In March, we will continue with tying up the vines. This is because all 35,000 vines have to be bent onto the bending wire and secured there with a thin wire.



What happens in the wine cellar during the winter months

Our musts ferment well into December. Of course, this means that there is always something to do in the cellar. Fermentation checks, racking, tasting the young wines for purity.

January is a quiet month in the cellar. The wines are hardly moved at all during this cold time of year. They are only tasted and bottled.

From mid-February, things really get going again in the cellar. First the wines are blended in the glass, then brought together in large containers. Although we vinify almost all wines as single varietals, they are often stored in different containers such as wood and steel and therefore have to be blended.

Natural fining with bentonite is carried out at the end of February. Yes, bentonite is a clay mineral that some people know from skin care products.

Now, in mid-March, the wine is filtered for bottling so that it comes out clear in the bottle.