Awaiting Bud Break
Over a matter of weeks, the Valley is transformed as bud break begins and the vines spread their leafy green canopies. For winemakers and growers, this time of year is magical as these small buds are just the start of the possibilities of a new growing season and vintage. Almost poetically, bud break represents a lot of things to us who work at Beringer: a new year, a new season, and the beginning of something amazing. Continue reading to learn more about what is happening in our vineyards.
Before Bud
Break Following harvest, each of our vineyards falls into a dormancy. Once the ground temperature consistently reaches below 50° F, the vines will stop circulating sap, and the leaves will fall leaving all the vineyards bare of any foliage. This period is the most opportune time for our vineyard workers to prune the vines and prepare for the new season. Pruning involves removing vine growth, specifically “shoots,” from the previous season. Therefore, Napa vines seem to be the same size year after year. By reducing the number of shoots on the vine, we can accurately predict yields and help the vines put more effort into the appropriate number of grape clusters that will form on each of these shoots. Much of this pruning must be done by hand, as each vine develops a little differently, and the process requires skill and practice that a machine cannot replicate. Pruning the shoots is a perfect coalesce of art and science as we set up the vineyards for the perfect start to a growing season.
What is Bud Break?
After pruning, the next step is the all-important “bud break.” What is bud break? As it sounds, the buds on each shoot burst open revealing the very first leaves, and the beginnings of the grape flowers. Eventually, the flowers will form, and each flower will become a single grape part of each cluster. Bud break typically happens right near the end of winter, when ground temperatures reach above 50° F consistently. There are many factors when it comes to predicting when bud break starts, and essentially when the growing season begins. Grape variety, soil composition, and general temperatures all affect when bud break can occur. In recent years, bud break typically begins mid to late February. As you read this, bud break may be happening at this very moment.
What Happens Next?
These leafy green shoots are the start of a new vintage. Winemaker Ryan Rech and his team will have many decisions to make to manage the growing buds and make sure the vine’s energy is appropriately concentrated. They’ll consider if and by how much to thin the shoots, how to allocate water, and how to manage the vineyard floor among other things.
Cheers to a new growing season, we can't wait to share these wines with you in the future!
