David on Technical Topics – Cognac Vines

Having spent a very cold weekend in the garden pruning trees, shrubs and roses, I gave some thought to those people who have to be in the cognac vineyards at this time of the year pruning the vines.

In theory, there is no reason why the vines cannot be pruned as soon as the leaves have died back but at that time of the year, distillation is in full swing so lack of time prevents it.  Most of the distillations have been completed by the New Year and it is then that the work outside begins in order that new shoots can emerge in the spring.   Most vines are cut back to the main stems.  These are usually trained along wires to enable easy access for the machines which need to operate in straight lines during spraying and harvesting.

The harvest is tough on those who have to go out and do the pruning. It is often very cold, often raining and sometimes even snowing but, it has to be completed by early spring. There are thousands of vines in every hectare and at Chez Richon, for example, most of this work is done by a single person. Madame Forgeron, works from 8 in the morning until 5 in the evening.  She takes a packed lunch and works tirelessly 7 days a week for about 3 months – quite an undertaking, especially since she’s 70!

To read more Technical Topics go to our Brandy Education page.