You might think that our mountain vineyards are quiet and dormant during the winter, but that’s far from the truth! While the vines are sleeping, a lot of activity is happening behind the scenes to prepare for the next growing season.
Pruning
One of the most essential tasks in the vineyard is pruning. The winegrower carefully trims the vines to control their growth and ensure a healthy yield of high-quality grapes. It’s a bit like giving the vines a haircut, but with a lot more thought and skill involved.
Sometimes, our winemakers pre-prune the vines to balance the risk of pruning early with the potential of budding out early.
Keeping the Frost Away
Winter can bring some chilly surprises, especially frost and snow. Winegrowers protect the vines using clever techniques, such as mounding soil around the base, using heaters or wind machines, or even spraying the vines with water to create a protective layer of ice.
El Dorado is no stranger to late frosts in the spring, which have been known to cause our winemakers a grey hair or two. These techniques are critical in those instances.
Soil Care
The soil is also a major focus during the winter. Winter is a good time to analyze the soil, add nutrients to improve its health, and add mulch to keep the roots warm and moist.
In the Winery
While the vines are resting, winemakers are not! They’re busy aging wines in barrels, blending different wines together to create unique flavors, and bottling the finished product.
While the vineyard may look quiet on the surface, winter is really a time of intense activity and careful preparation. All this hard work and preparation ensures that the vines are healthy and ready to produce another bountiful harvest in the spring.
