Tenuta il Finale in Spring - Winemaker's calendar
- Tenuta Il Finale
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
David, from the vineyards, shares a view of the old Barbera vines with early Spring buds these vines have been single Guyot pruned beautifully by hand, then strapped and prepared for the year ahead.
David offers us an interesting debate - The maintenance of the vineyard. What is the right way? Is there one? The many vintners and farmers all have their own preferred ways and techniques to achieve their goals in producing the nicest Piemonte wines.
Some prefer to cut back the grass between the rows of vines and have everything extremely trim. At Tenuta Il Finale we are little different in our approach with fairly long and lush grass and a mixture of plants within the rows. The purpose of leaving our vineyards like this, which some may argue is a little late, is to protect against the drying out of the soil at a time when the recent weather has included a great deal of sun.
Leaving the vineyards at Tenuta Il Finale with this lushness is as a protection, capturing moisture and preserving the morning dew to avoid, at least to some extent, the drying out of the clay soils. So who is right? Who is wrong? There is no real answer just a passion present.
The passion and dedication from each individual farmer is fascinating, their understanding, knowledge, and attention to every detail can only be admired in the long road to the next vintage.
This is definitely the start of the spring season with farmers busy in the vineyards preparing for the year and harvest ahead. At Tenuta Il Finale we are already seeing the first signs of growth and development. It is a moment of considerable excitement for the team. The signs of life from the vines give an anticipation and hope for what will be another extremely exciting year and another wonderful harvest in 2025. David will be back to share a lot more of what is happening in the vineyards over the coming weeks and months along with updates on what is happening with the results of the 2024 vintages, their bottling and tastings.
There's an awful lot to get through and an awful lot to share during this coming year.
Guyot pruning explained
Guyot pruning is a popular vine training and pruning method used in viticulture, especially for wine grapes. It helps control grape yield, improve fruit quality, and manage vine growth throughout the season. It’s named after Dr. Jules Guyot, a French physician and agronomist who developed it in the 19th century.
There are two main types practiced - Single Guyot and Double Guyot
Single Guyot uses one cane (fruiting arm) trained along a wire horizontally. One spur with 1–2 buds) is left at the base to grow next year’s fruiting cane and is good for lower vigor vines.
Double Guyot uses two canes are trained in opposite directions along the wire and two renewal spurs are left. This is a common practice in Italy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and parts of California and is good for lower vigor vines.
Guyot pruning controls yields by limiting the number of buds whilst enhancing sunlight exposure and airflow which in turn helps to ripen grapes more evenly.
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