Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/112023
WineEast In the Texas trial, leaves were removed once in the fruiting zone on the east side only, just after fruit set. In the first year of this project, the divided vines produced the equivalent of approximately 1 ton per acre more than the nondivided vines, with no significant differences in Brix, pH and titratable acidity at harvest between the fruit produced on upward and downward oriented shoots or between training systems (see photo at right). In this example the winemaker was primarily interested in fruit chemistry at harvest, and wines were not produced separately from the treated vines. During years two through four, the vines trained with divided canopies produced the equivalent of 2 tons or more per acre more than the non-divided vines. At this site, we observed that an increase greater than 2 tons per acre was undesirable, as it delayed ripening and reduced cane weights below the desired vigor levels. In this case, a four-year evaluation was required to establish how much yield increase could be achieved before negatively impacting fruit quality and vine balance. As a result of this trial, the Rolling Hills Vineyard has been converted to the vertically divided system, and the grower maintains a projected 1-2 tons per acre increase in yields while still producing fruit of the desired quality parameters of the winemaker. Hedging was reduced to one pass per season over the four years and in some years was not needed at all. While the application of herbicides is more challenging on the western side of the vine row, the grower SpecTrellising_July10.qxp 5/13/10 9:25 AM Page 1 has managed to adapt their spray application. Downward-trained shoots on the vertically divided training system produced about 1 ton per acre of additional fruit during the first year of transition from the standard VSP training system. Owned and operated by third generation grape growers, S & L Vineyards supplies bulk grapes, juices and wines to large and small wineries. Grown in Lodi/Woodbridge and the Sierra Foothills where the climate is warm and dry in the summers and cool and moist in the winters, our premium wine grapes are harvested at optimum brix levels, custom processed based on customer preference and placed in cold storage. Hand selected grapes are packed in halfton cardboard containers and shipped in refrigerated trailers directly to your facility via your preferred method and carrier. S & L Vineyards can be reached at 866.214.7273 or sales@slvineyards.com 58 W in e s & V i ne s M AR C H 20 13