With winter practically knocking on the door, many are wondering how this season of the year affects the cultivation of grapes. Wine lovers as well as those who run wineries and restaurants fear that their wine cellars will not fill with bottles of wine in the following season.
But are the effects of snow on vineyards really negative? Find out in this new article!
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The snow and the vines: a love or hate relationship?
The natural thing is to think that the arrival of cold and snow is detrimental to the vineyards. And it is that there are denominations of origin, such as Empordà , in which it is common for the winter season to fall the occasional flake.
However, the truth is that the snow, far from damaging the vines, acts as a kind of balm that provides hydration and helps to heal the plants . Of course, it is important to emphasize that the snowfall should not be too copious to achieve that the snow produces these beneficial effects on the vine.
Thus, large volumes of snow can considerably damage the vines , even breaking them if the snowfall has been very heavy and a lot of snow has accumulated.
In addition, another of the great dangers that winegrowers fear is when frosts occur just after pruning and just before harvest .
The 3 main benefits of snow in the vineyard
During the winter, the vines are as in a vegetative rest . A situation that insects and fungi in the fields take advantage of to make use of the barks found on the vine, in order to protect themselves from cold waves.
Therefore, the snow manages to eliminate them, thus freeing the plant and allowing it to arrive healthy in spring.
Although we have already mentioned some of the advantages of snow on the vine, these are the main 3:
- Hydration : when the snowflakes fall regularly and gradually, they soak the earth and provide it with nutrients. That is why snow provides hydration and contributes to providing nutrients.
- Healing : snow and cold make possible the rapid healing of wounds that plants may have suffered from pruning. And it is that without the scarring, the vineyards could contract diseases that could put their life at risk.
- Cleaning : snow makes it possible to kill insects and fungi that negatively affect the bark of the vine.
Having learned about the benefits of snow in the vineyards, it is also important to take into account the importance of preserving the wine once it has been bottled .
And it is that if the snow contributes to the sanitation of the vine, a wine cellar or refrigerator for wines is the appliance that guarantees that all the properties of the wine remain intact . Thus ensuring an exceptional taste and quality when opening the wine bottles that are stored in the wine cellars.
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