One of the most important interventions in the vineyard is the removal of lateral shoots. This work is a part of the summer pruning and takes place in May.
Usually, all lateral shoots that grow from the base of the shoot to a bud above the last grape are removed. In this way, we create an ideal microclimate inside the grape zone for the healthy growth of the grapes.
At Ktima Kyr-Yianni, we give importance to the removal of these shoots and the process is done differently depending on the variety and the slope of the vineyard:
A. We follow the usual practice, removing all lateral shoots that grow from the base of the vine, up to one bud over the last grape, in the most vineyards and varieties.
B. We remove all the lateral shoots which grow up to the last grape, but keep all above it in order to shade of the grapes and protect them from sunburn in the parcels of south, southeast exposure and protect delicate varieties such as Merlot from powdery mildew.
C. We let all the lateral shoots grow and reduce their length when needed in order to protect grapes from sunburn in the southern-southeast exposition plots of Xinomavro, creating a “protective net” around them.
The ultimate goal of the interventions is to keep the grapes healthy and ensure their proper maturation.