Busy-ness in the Vineyard

Ever since budbreak occured in early May, it has been sunny and rainy so ideal conditions for growth in the vineyard. We had a few days of respite from the vineyard, after pruning and laying down the canes as we waited for the buds to grow, but from now until harvest, the vineyard calls.
The first to need our attention was the Auxerrois. The graft union of this variety produces a proliferation of buds that need to be removed leaving only a few shoots for next year. Here is a before and after photo of the process of shoot thinning in the Auxerrois.

This is the perfect time for the shoot thinning activity because the shoots can be removed by hand. The goal of shoot thinning in the vineyard is to provide adequate space for each of the shoots to grow without crowding so that there is air flow through the shoots. This year, we have been more aggressive about the shoots we remove. We are leaving approximately 4 to 5 shoots on each of the canes that we have laid down and hope that each shoot will carry two bunches of grapes.
The other thing that we are doing is removing all of the kicker canes that we have left on some vines as an insurance against frost. It is May 29th so hopefully the chance of frost has passed. Removing the kicker canes also diverts the energy into the remaining shoots. All of these activities will keep us very busy!