Pruning is a long and laborious process.Pruning is a long and laborious process.

Emmanuel Delicata viticulturists this week started the winter pruning of grapevines, mainly the red varieties growing in the north of Malta.

With hundreds of vineyards to prune, this initial pruning period is expected to last until the end of February, maybe even rolling into early March, weather permitting.

This is a long and laborious process, which needs to be carried out in each and every vineyard, whereby most of the wood produced during the previous season is removed manually. The wood retained is repositioned to allow for new fruiting canes to be suitably distributed.

Weather conditions will be continuously monitored over the coming weeks.

Viticulturalists need to avoid periods of rain whenever possible as rain falling on recently pruned vines can induce disease.

Delicata’s late ripening, trellised red grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, which is well known for its hard wood vines that make it difficult and slower to prune, will be pruned first, whereas the early ripening grape varieties that start their growing season early, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, will be left for last.

The winter pruning will be followed by spring pruning, whereby the viticulturists will choose the best new canes and remove any excess ones, to encourage the growth of higher-quality grapes that will eventually be used for the production of Delicata’s quality wines.

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