The Champagne winemaker has talent. Including that of predicting the future. Are you skeptical? And yet. The vineyard lives to the rhythm of the seasons. A perpetual and necessary cycle that ensures its sustainability. Pre-pruning, pruning, tying, disbudding, lifting, trellising, trimming, and harvesting follow one another throughout the year. And what about our fortune teller in all this?
Pruning is the heart of the winegrower's profession. The first operation after the harvest, it prepares the vines for the winter period. A founding act that involves great responsibility. Its success will determine the vigor, fertility, maturity and above all, the quality of the upcoming harvest. Subject to climatic hazards, it begins in November with pre-pruning. A break takes place from mid-December to mid-January to respect the winter rest of the plant. It resumes before Saint-Vincent's Day, during January, and ends at the end of March.
For hundreds of hours, men and women work to manually cut the vine shoots. Constantly making choices, they sustainably shape the profile of the vine, ensuring a sufficient quantity of berries for the next harvest. Since 1941, four techniques have been authorized by the Champagne appellation. Two are mandatory for Premier Cru and Grand Cru plots: the “ Chablis ” and “ Cordon de Royat ” prunings are accepted for all three grape varieties. The “Guyot” pruning, which can be double or single, is permitted on all three grape varieties and classified growths from 80 to 89%. Very similar to the previous one, the “Vallée de la Marne” pruning is exclusively dedicated to Meunier.
Recognized since antiquity, legend has it that the author of this practice was a hungry donkey. By grazing the vine shoots, the grapes of the following harvest proved abundant and of high quality. It is said that to thank this benefactor, his portrait would be enthroned on one of the north portals of Reims Cathedral. It's up to you to find it!
