{"id":23538,"date":"2021-02-01T12:34:32","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T11:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gramona.com\/podar-per-vida-i-salut\/"},"modified":"2023-08-17T12:39:43","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T10:39:43","slug":"podar-per-vida-i-salut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gramona.com\/en\/podar-per-vida-i-salut\/","title":{"rendered":"PRUNING FOR LIFE AND HEALTH"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u200b\u200b\u200b\u201dSimonit and Sirch observed a common problem across all of the wine regions in the world: premature vine death and the spread of diseases in the wood\u2026 \u201c<\/strong><\/p>\n

[by Ruth Troyano. Cupatges. 25\/01\/2021<\/a>]\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was not yet 18 when respectful pruning reached Gramona, a result of his father travelling to Italy and meeting the world\u2019s leading experts. The agricultural engineers Marco Simonit and Pierpaolo Sirch<\/a> visited Pened\u00e9s in 2010, right when Roc Gramona was starting his studies at the School of Oenology at Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona<\/strong>. \u201cSimonit and Sirch had observed a common problem across all of the wine regions in the world: premature vine death and the spread of diseases in the wood. They created a sort of compilation of pruning practices, observing the longest-lasting vines and the training systems used in vineyards over 100 years old, such as the bush training in Priorat or the ungrafted vines in Manchuela and Ribera del Duero,\u201d <\/strong>Gramona explains. \u201cThey saw that they were free training systems that allowed the plants to grow, creating new branches, while limiting them. Actually, they didn\u2019t invent the method, because the practices they defined had already been applied in the past, but they should be credited with creating a compendium of knowledge; they theorised about respectful pruning and summarised it in four points,\u201d says Roc Gramona. After an initial test in Veneto, the knowledge and experience of Simonit and Sirch began to spread around the world. In Catalonia, Gramona welcomed them with open arms out of a desire to be extremely careful and precise with the vineyards. \u201cIt is more respectful pruning than the traditional kind, one that combats wood diseases such as esca and keeps the plant from drying out while ensuring its longevity,\u201d <\/strong>says Roc Gramona.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201dI\u2019ve always believed than pruning is the elixir of life for the grapevine.\u201d<\/strong>
\n-Marco Simonit<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roc Gramona embraced and implemented Simonit and Sirch\u2019s theses from the outset, viewing them as natural. He was enthusiastic about them because they could definitely be implemented and there was a real issue to resolve. In his opinion, he was lucky to not have become \u201caddicted\u201d to traditional pruning before meeting them. With them, he learned the art of pruning and respecting the vine, and years later, with the INNOVI<\/a> cluster, his father realised that there was no centre to spread this knowledge in Spain. And so the Acad\u00e8mia de Poda<\/a> was born. Today, he directs and collaborates with friends in the profession, with two clear objectives: to train professionals to prune respectfully and to combat the more mechanised and less sustainable pruning system to guarantee the plant\u2019s life and productivity.<\/p>\n

Respectful pruning is based on four pillars whose application requires not only qualified labour, but also determination and industriousness. The first one is to ensure the branching of the plant.<\/strong> \u201cIf we constantly limit it, we mutilate it,\u201d says Roc Gramona. \u201cWe have to allow the vine to grow gradually and respect its organic vitality. If we make large cuts, they won\u2019t heal, and the plant dries out.\u201d This is probably the main aspect, but the other three are also decisive. The second one is respecting sap flow<\/strong>. \u201cThis is achieved by studying the vascular structure of the plant. The cuts must be arranged so the flow is clean and continuous. In Jerez, this is ensured with the \u201crod and thumb\u201d system. It is also achieved in the old, bush-trained vines in Priorat. \u201cYou realise that there is an order and precision, the fruit of ancestral knowledge,\u201d remarks Roc Gramona. \u201cThe third is a more technical aspect that consists of making small cuts on the same side and respecting the crown<\/strong>. Each cut is a point that dries out, and the plant has to protect itself. By making small cuts, we dry out the vine less while reducing the area of \u200b\u200bthe exposed wound and the risk of disease.\u201d Lastly, and very closely linked to the previous point, there is the practice of leaving protective wood, or <\/strong>\u201cmadera de respeto<\/em>\u201c, so that drying does not interfere with the vascular system. \u201cWe need to limit the damage done to the vine to the absolute minimum. And we have to prune roughly, which is less aesthetically pleasing but helps to achieve longer-lasting vineyards,\u201d says the director of the Academia de Poda.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes painful, yet crucial.\u201d<\/strong>
\n-Terre de Vins<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe simplest part of pruning is obviously defining the vintage and wine production. But in addition to this, due to the costs involved, we have downplayed the importance of the knowledge that existed before and how to seek the longevity of the vines.\u201d Roc Gramona is clear when asked to reflect on the most important viticultural practice for the life of the vine, an issue that wineries address at this time of year. \u201cRespectful pruning means healthier plants. It\u2019s a more sustainable practice, and it can be adapted for all training systems,\u201d according to the director of Academia de Poda. However, he provides some context: \u201cBush training was the oldest, most widespread vine training system on the Iberian Peninsula until 50 years ago, and it\u2019s the method that allows the best application of the four pillars of respectful pruning. This is because it\u2019s a free training system, allowing the plant to grow three-dimensionally, without space limitations. In the bush training of old vines, we see how pruning has been carried out in the past 50 years. We also observe that when the cordon was introduced as a training system, it was done with a lack of awareness. Cordon training has made us forget bush training, and the bush trained vines have been pruned as if it were cordon. That\u2019s pretty upsetting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not everyone has the expertise, but in the vineyard, pruning must be viewed with a long-term vision. Roc Gramona stresses its importance: \u201cWhen we prune, instead of assessing the production of the coming year, we have to think that the plant can last more years. It\u2019s a vision they had in the past, but we\u2019ve forgotten it with the arrival of mechanisation and more extensive agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe found a meditative rhythm, a time to commune in the silence with the frosty vineyard. In biodynamics, this (pruning) was a key moment to talk to the vines.\u201d \u2013 Caro Feely<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn France, fieldwork is much more highly valued, and there are many professionals focused on pruning.<\/strong> It is valued knowledge. Here, that isn\u2019t the case. Until now, it hasn\u2019t been given the priority it deserves, and the only practices have been cutting shoots and leaving buds on the vine to ensure production, so those who do this work go unrecognised. That\u2019s why there is so much turnover on the vineyard teams, and you constantly have to train the teams,\u201d explains Roc Gramona with concern. In this respect, the collaboration between Academia de Poda, Merc\u00e8 Fontanelles Foundation and LaCaixa to train people at risk of social exclusion <\/strong>is particularly interesting. The initiative has been a great success due to the high percentage of job placement among the participants. \u201cThere is the stigma that unaccompanied minors are a disaster, and I completely disagree with that. They are highly motivated and do a very good job,\u201d says Roc Gramona.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what? The best thing about Academia de Poda isn\u2019t the fact that it spreads knowledge and standardises concepts, but that there are participants from different companies and dedicated young people like Llu\u00eds Coll, Technical Director of Viticulture at Vallformosa, and Roger Rovira, Director of Viticulture at Recaredo, to name a few. We have the same philosophy that we have been trying to communicate since 2014,\u201d explains Gramona.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are observing that awareness is growing significantly. The sector knows there is a problem and needs to do something about it. This is the fifth year we are offering training, and we find that young people pick it up very quickly. It is harder for older winegrowers because they are more set in their ways and have a greater tendency to prune the vines too much,<\/strong>\u201d explains Roc Gramona. Despite the pandemic, the demand for consulting is on the rise. Against all odds, requests have grown because word of mouth \u201cis making a big impact,\u201d he adds. They will soon travel to Ribera del Duero and Madrid to train teams at wineries as prestigious and diverse as Vega Sicilia and Comando G. Perhaps the time has come to acknowledge and emphasise the importance of pruning, an intimate expression of the relationship between man and vine that, according to Roc Gramona<\/strong>, must always begin by mastering the use of manual pruning shears: \u201cBecause that way you\u2019re aware of the damage you are doing to the plant or the strength you need. Once you learn that, the best tool is a pair of electric pruning shears because they are more efficient and precise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>