Wine team Sonoma Valley

Most people think that the wine industry has two totally different sides: the viticulture, or growing, side and the wine making side. This is not true at all here in Sonoma.

Here there is combined effort to make a great wine. It’s true that most viticulturists don’t spend any time in the winery helping the winemaker make the wine, but their actions and decisions throughout the growing season have a direct influence on the final product.

So it makes perfect sense to know that the winemaker and the vineyard team meet a lot during the growing season to go over different tasks performed in the vineyard.

So what are these tasks and why are they so important?

It all starts with the pruning; there are different styles of pruning, which comes down to the ability to create a balanced vine. Timing of the suckering process and lateral removal are also important decisions that help create a vineyard canopy which allows the right amount of sunlight to enter the fruit zone. Too little sunlight and the cluster may not ripen, or could rot. Too much sunlight and it can get burned, which can cause unwanted flavors.

Another task: irrigation. This time of year is a crucial part of the season, and the decision of when to water the vines is the biggest topic. Most of us have heard that stressing a grapevine can lead to a higher quality grape crop. Even though this is true, there are timing issues and a point that too much stress can lead to a total disaster.

There are tools that measure the content of water in the leaves that help in this important decision. Many of us still make the final decision by looking at the vines top growth (growing tip) and health of the vine. There are stages of stress that can be seen with a trained eye.

In the next week or so the vineyard team will be looking at when to drop crop. This task is just like it sounds — every vine has a perfect number of clusters it can produce that will be of the highest quality. If the vine exceeds this amount it can cause the fruit not to ripen evenly or not ripen at all. If there is less than the magic number the clusters can ripen to quickly and not allow for hang time in the fall when they produce most of their unique flavors.

There will always be the debate when to perform this task. Some say do it after fruit set with others saying to do it after veraision (when the grapes turn color). This is another reason it is good to have the vineyard team, which includes the winemaker, help in this decision. Normally what will happen is everyone will see the benefits of both and there will be two different timed fruit drops.

We are about 10 weeks away from the still wine harvest (this will probably be another early harvest year). This will be another important decision that will be discussed. There is a small window of time when the grapes should be harvested, depending on Brix (sugar content), acid levels and flavors. If there is a rainstorm on the horizon the decision turns into a negotiation.

Great wine is made from a balanced vine and it takes a team to achieve that balance. There are many reasons Sonoma has great wine, there’s the climate, soil, and many other factors, but most importantly the team work of many individuals who are great at what they do, growing great wine.

David Cook owns and operates Cook Vineyard Management and hosts “In the Vine Country” on KSVY 91.3 FM every Tuesday at 4 p.m. To learn more about the world of viticulture, contact him  at 707.490.8921 or cvmgrapes.com.