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GRAPE GRO WING out before crushing, as resulting color loss- es in the wine, off flavors and unbalanced mouthfeel can be very significant. Leaf pull- ing should be done early and judiciously, even in coastal areas, as "heat storms" late in the season can cause serious sunburn and fruit losses, particularly for Pinot Noir. Many growers like to time their leaf pull- ing to just after fruit set to correspond with the emergence of leafhopper nymphs. By removing the leaves at that time, you also reduce leafhopper populations and allow good penetration of any fungicide sprays to protect young grape bunches. Removing clusters from short shoots A common instruction during fruit thinning is leave two clusters per shoot if the shoot is at least 36 inches long, one cluster per shoot if it is at least 30 inches long, and remove fruit from any shoot less than 30 inches. Studies indicate that fruit from short shoots is slower to ripen than fruit from long shoots, but over time the fruit from short shoots will catch up and ripen. The wine quality issue with fruit from short shoots mostly concerns high concentrations of me- thoxypyrazines that give wine green veggie flavors. Fruit from short shoots probably won't negatively affect flavors of the wine Sheep cleared the way for the right amount of airflow in the vineyard pictured at left. The vines on the right, however, were stripped badly, leaving clusters prone to sunburn. if it is less than 15% of the total fruit har- vested. If there are numerous short shoots with clusters on them, you may want to target those for fruit removal during thin- ning. If the number of short shoots is small, then you may not need to worry very much about them as long as the canopy is gener- ally healthy and well elongated. Conclusion Many canopy-management practices posi- tively influence fruit quality. Be sure that the practices you are using are accomplishing what you want to achieve and are worth the money that you spend. Take the time to record fruit and pruning weight measure- ments, as these data will help you in setting goals for wine quality. You may be able to alter or delete some activities, save money and end up with higher quality fruit. Glenn McGourty is the UC Cooperative Ex- tension winegrowing and plant science advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties. He is the technical editor for the "Organic Winegrowing Manual" published by the University of Califor- nia Agricultural and Natural Resources division. He also tends a 1-acre vineyard on his property along the Russian River near Ukiah, Calif. 74 WINES & VINES SEPTEMBER 2012