Work in the vines
The behavior of the vineyard is made of manners following one: high “palissage”, short cutting, “ébourgeonnage”, organic protection, “palissage”, thinning-out of leaves and manual grape harvest.
In spring, tears of sap bring slowly strength and heat to vine shoots cut by the sleepy stocks. In April, the first buds burst into tiny still quite frail leaves, real promise renewed by May to come which will cover the wine plain of a still soft green foliage…
From the end of May to the beginning of June, grapes bloom in tiny very pale flowers which the bad weather can again oppose until compromise sometimes a harvest to become there; and the summer light of beautiful days brings strength and sweetens in the grapes which are going to mature.
In the first days of August, during the “véraison” grapes take their color. In September, comes the time of the plenitude: the sun-kissed grapes are ready to be harvested. Peter Wildbolz measures his vineyards, by beginning with the most premature to determine the quality of the ripening …
October will see the end of the grape harvests. Under the wind of November, leaves will get loose; the nature gets ready for the sleep of the winter. The cutting can begin. The first come frosts, in the put to sleep vineyard birds peck at the last small clusters left during the harvest which were not able to mature and which we call verjuices.
In the cellar, the wine can then take shape; secret life, mysterious life rich in the know-how of the wine grower, in the sun and in the ground of the estate.