This month we are pruning in the vineyard. The purpose of pruning is to cut away portions of the vine to promote healthy fruit, stop overcropping, and prevent the vineyard from becoming a jungle. We are currently pruning the Niagara patch at the Long Shot Farm. Niagara grapes are a North American variety which are used for jams, juice, table grapes, and wine! They are featured in the Niagara wine and in the Niagara wine slushy.
An extremely fruit-fragrant wine, Niagara is a luscious waterfall, overwhelmingly powerful. So pack your barrel tight, as when you plunge ahead, you will find the wine exhibits a strong floral quality, of elderflower and perhaps jasmine, with a moderately acidic lemon citrus finish to balance out the palate.
We are spur pruning the Niagara patch. The vines are trained to have a pair of long canes trained along the trellis in opposite directions. These create permanent cordons. Last year’s canes that have grown along the cordons are cut back to a small shoot containing only a few buds. This region is known as a spur.
These are the before and after pictures. In the spring, new growth will sprout from the buds on the spur and produce the harvest.
