|
Pruning
Beginning
in January and February, the vineyards undergo a pruning process
to ensure the health of the vine. Vines are manually cut to
guide the direction of growth each year, balancing the plant
canopy layout. The pruning process also helps optimize the
total leaf surface area of the plant allowing more photosynthetic
activity and therefore increasing flavour profiles.
LEVIN
Trellis System
Trellis System
|
|
To
further increase the leaf surface area, LEVIN
uses a trellis system that is taller than other grape
grower's trellises in the region. The high trellises
also allow the vineyards to be less dense while producing
the 7-8 tons per hectare of quality grapes we want to
harvest. Additionally, during harvest, employee efficiency
is greater due to easier and faster picking conditions,
mainly from the grapes not hanging at so low a height.
|
Leaf
Plucking
In June
and July, LEVIN employs a tradition
of manual leaf plucking on vines that have too many leaves
around the grape clusters as well as "doubles".
"Doubles" are shoots that grow off of or are connected
to other shoots.
Before leaf plucking
|
|
A
healthy plant should have between 8-10 shoots (impossible
for a machine to achieve perfectly). Manually plucking
each vine helps the healthy shoot to avoid any unwanted
competition. There are two additional benefits to leaf
plucking that aid the vine.
|
|
First,
this practice is used to reduce rot by exposing the
fruit in vines to sunlight and movement of air. Secondly,
it benefits development of concentrating flavours, which
is where the practice is most advantageous to LEVIN
wines.
In
general, Sauvignon Blanc has a high, racy acidity level
in the grape. LEVIN uses the
manual leaf plucking technique in order to ensure more
direct sun exposure on the grapes, allowing them to
fully ripen on the vine. When harvested, the increased
sugar and flavour content of the grape balances with
its naturally high acidity to create a harmonious blend.
This method modifies the sometimes vegetal aspect of
the wine, driving it towards a more fruit driven, lingering
finish.
|
|
After leaf plucking
|
Green
Harvest
Following
the leaf plucking of the vines, a process known as "green
harvest" is started in the vineyards during the first
weeks of August. "Green harvest" is a process of
thinning out multiple clusters of grapes by carefully selecting
and dropping them from the vine. While many would think the
more grapes the better, this, however, leads to excess inferior
grapes which dilutes wine flavours. With multiple clusters
on a plant, the grapes bundle together lending themselves
to rot due to humidity and moisture buildup. By thinning unwanted
clusters out, LEVIN is able to ensure
only healthy free-growing grapes end up in the bottle.
The
ultimate challenge for LEVIN is to
attain three goals in our land and vineyard management . First,
we want to control the yields we get from each field, to ensure
harvesting the best fruit. We do this by our manual attention
to pruning, leaf plucking and "green harvest". Secondly,
we employ the same tactics to avoid rot on the vines. We also
limit our use of fertilizers so to prevent vines from becoming
too vigorous. We want the vineyards to be in perfect balance.
Finally, we wait for the optimal date to begin harvest. While
we usually begin in late September, occasionally we pick at
different times even in the same field. This way we harvest
the grape clusters only when they are ready. By focusing on
these three goals, we are able to guarantee that the grapes
are in excellent condition before reaching their next destination...the
winery.
|
