The cycle of the vineyard
March-April
In March : TEARS and BUDBURST
Life restarts: sap passes out of the wounds of pruning ("the vineyard cries"); buds burst free from their lifeless fillinge
In April : LEAFING
Buds bloom and give the first leafs.
May-June
In May : FLOWERING
Flowers form on the clusters of new shoots.
In June : CONCEPTION
The conception of the flower takes place immediately.
July-August
In July : BERRY SET
The green fruits are firm and tiny. They do not contain sugar but they are rich in acids. They are sensitive to all the diseases of the leaf.
In August :
Change in color
The grapes fatten and become more elasticated to the touch, the red grapes develop their colour and the whites become translucent.
Maturation
The bunches of grapes increase by volume and by weight, develop in colour, lose acidity and accumulate sugars.
September-October
In september - october : HARVEST
100 days after flowering the grape harvests begins. The date varies according to the wine-producing region and to the maturity of the grape. Oenological maturity is defined according to the sugar and the acidity of the grape.
Winter Months
In winter months : DORMANCY
In the end of autumn, the loss of leaves marks the beginning of a period of vegetal rest, during which the vineyard will live on its reserves until the beginning of a new vegetal cycle.