Delinquent Buds in Springtime
Winter and summer months are high season for vineyard workers: they prune extra shoots that have long since turned brittle, tie canes to support wires, and prevent the luscious green canopy from turning into full-blown jungle madness. During these months hours of neck-kinking, meticulous labor are invested in grooming the plants. But springtime is another story.
As the winter chill dissipates, the vine reawakens. The plant tosses off dormancy like a heavy blanket and prepares itself to start a new growing cycle. As the vine comes out of its long sleep, it is in dire need of a long drink of clear mountain water. Therefore, vineyards heavily irrigate, hydrating the vine for a marathon growth spurt. After all, in the weeks to come it will begin collecting nutrients and minerals from the soil, channeling sap to even the most distant extremities, and funneling energy into buds until they literally burst.
It’s high-season for the vine; a time for mother nature to follow her instincts and for vineyard workers to sit back and watch – or so I thought. As I strolled from the parking lot to the winery’s main building, I noticed I was not alone. The Pulenta Estate vineyards in Alto Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo were full of pairs of hands, sheathed in canvas gloves and hard at work. But I couldn’t guess as to what they were up to.
A woman, with sun-kissed skin and face wrapped in layers of fabric, silently wove her way down the row of vines, pausing at each plant, wrapping her hands around the base of the trunk, and gently running them up the body of the vine. When she reached the crown of the trunk, she brushed her hands over the cordons, feeling every rough edge of the spurs and dry bark on the other side of her gloves.
Perhaps I am under the influence of too many travels, but her routine eerily echoed the all-to-familiar meticulous TSA pat down. Which, of course, I knew was impossible – few vines are known to conceal & carry this side of the equator. But as she inched her way down the manicured row of vines, I spotted amongst the dirt a handful of tiny green leaves, tiny green clusters no bigger than the size of my thumbnail… and I began to understand what she was up to.
Scattered amongst the desert dirt, littered at the base of the trunk, were buds. Dozens of bright green, furry buds. Grapevine buds are the base camp, the center of life for all new growth on the vines – caring for them and protecting them against hail & wind is essential. But, as it turns out, not all buds are worth saving. Some buds are naughty and threaten the carefully honed nutrient channel that makes high-quality grape production possible. They may grow out of the base of the trunk and suck energy from the roots before it ever reaches the rest of the plant. Or perhaps they’ll grow out of the bottom side of the cordon, threatening to wreak all kinds of havoc on the feng shui of the training system. Or they’ll simply grow too close to each other: bud on top of bud. Whatever their offense, a misplaced, misbehaving bud has got to go.
Therefore, sad as it may be, the field hands stop them before they ever really have a chance. And though it may seem – well, plainly put – brutal, it’s for the best. Free of delinquent buds the vine will keep its limited nutrients funneling into a limited amount of fruit: quality fruit that will later become quality wine.
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