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WineEast E xtreme low temperatures in winter can cause significant economic losses to grape production by substantially decreasing yield and fruit quality and increasing the cost of production. it can cost an estimated $155 to retrain or replace a dead grafted Vitis vin- ifera vine. because extreme freezing events do not occur on a frequent basis, little research has been conducted on the best pruning strategies for optimum grapevine recovery. while reports from washington state describe how to deal with winter-in- jured, own-rooted vinifera vines, there is no such published research on grafted vinifera grown in the eastern united States. Growers typically respond to extensive winter injury by bypassing pruning alto- gether. Growers assume there will be major Wine East HIGHLIGHTS: • sub-freezing temperatures in Janu- ary 2009 prompted a study of how pruning affects vines damaged by winter injury. • Methods tested included no pruning, spur pruning, two-node hedging and five-node hedging. • While pruning strategies did not physiologically affect vine recovery following 90% bud injury, hedge pruning resulted in a moderate crop that ensured future vine balance. crop losses as a result of winter injury and thus reduce production costs by minimizing cultural practices such as pruning. AS GOOD AS IT GETS. Natural Corks Champagne Corks Twinline Corks Bartops VISION® G-Cap® Wine Stopper Screw Cap Sales Representatives Chris & Liz Stamp info@lakewoodcork.com Lakewood Cork 4024 State Route 14 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 lakewoodcork.com 607-535-9252 607-535-6656 Fax 60 Wines & Vines APRiL 2012 Grapegrowing Pruning Grapevines After Winter Injury Hedge pruning shows advantages in Ohio trial conducted with Pinot Gris By Imed E. Dami following winter injury, the primary goal of a grower is to conduct cultural practices that bring the vineyard back to full produc- tion with minimum cost and without sacri- ficing vine health and fruit quality. among the early and most critical cultural practices is pruning adjustment. the appropriate pruning strategy will depend on the extent of primary bud injury. therefore, an assess- ment of primary bud injury prior to pruning is an important step. H&W_Dec10.qxp 10/12/10 10:59 AM Page 1 The beginning in January 2009, extreme sub-freezing temperatures occurred east of the rockies throughout grapegrowing regions in il- linois, indiana, iowa, Minnesota and Mis- souri. in Ohio, temperature lows ranged between -8°f and -24°f, which were