Work in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Tradition and know-how 🍇
Work in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Tradition and Excellence
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards, emblematic of the Rhône Valley, produce exceptional wines thanks to meticulous, passionate work in the vineyards. Between ancestral know-how and modern practices, each season demands precise efforts to preserve the quality of the grapes and sublimate the appellation’s unique terroir.
Discover the key stages in the winemaking process at Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the sustainable practices adopted by the winemakers and the challenges they face in producing exceptional wines.
Winter (December to March) – Pruning and Soil Preparation
Although the vines may appear to be at rest in winter, the work of the winemakers is essential to ensure a balanced harvest in spring. Well-pruned vines and well-prepared soil ensure that bunches are evenly distributed, develop harmoniously and express the terroir to the full.
In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, each estate has its own methods, but all share the same goal: to preserve the quality and authenticity of their wines by working with precision and respect for nature, even in the middle of winter. 🍷✨
Vine pruning: a decisive step
Winter pruning, which generally lasts from December to March, is undoubtedly one of the most important interventions to ensure a good balance between vigor and production.
Pruning regulates the vine’s load, i.e. the number of bunches it will produce in spring. An unpruned vine would produce an unbalanced crop, with too many low-quality grapes. By selecting which buds to keep, the winegrower guides the plant’s growth and ensures the proper development of future bunches.
Soil Preparation: Preserving Vineyard Health
During this period, several techniques are used:
✔ Light ploughing: thisaerates the soil, facilitating the infiltration of rainwater and preventing compaction. This also encourages the microbial life essential to the vineyard’s fertility.
✔ Incorporating organic matter: some winegrowers bring in natural fertilizers or let crushed vine shoots decompose to enrich the soil with nutrients.
Spring in the Vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: A Season of Renewal
With the return of mild spring temperatures, vines emerge from dormancy and enter a phase of active growth. This is a crucial period, during which winegrowers intervene to structure the vine, control its development and protect young shoots.
Disbudding: Selecting the best buds
As early as April, the first buds appear. To guarantee quality production, winegrowers carry out disbudding, an essential operation which consists of:
✔ Removing unnecessary buds, which would consume the plant’s energy unnecessarily.
✔ Limiting yield to favor the concentration of aromas and obtain balanced bunches.
✔ Improving vine aeration, thus reducing the risk of disease.
Disbudding is a meticulous task that is carried out manually, vine by vine, to leave only the most promising shoots.
Trellising and lifting: guiding the vine towards the sun
As the vine grows, it becomes essential to control and orientate its branches to ensure good light distribution and aeration. This is where trellising and training come into play.
✔ Tie young shoots to trellising wires to prevent them from tangling or breaking in the wind.
✔ Maximize sun exposure, favoring even ripening of bunches.
✔ Limit the risk of disease, by preventing leaves from creating too much moisture around the grapes.
The Mistral, the region’s emblematic wind, plays a key role in this stage, drying the vines quickly after the rain, thus reducing the risk of fungus development.
Summer in the Vines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: A Season of Maturity and Balance
Summer is a crucial period for Châteauneuf-du-Pape winemakers. Under the blazing sun of Provence, the vines enter a phase of intense ripening, when the berries gain in sugar, color and aromatic complexity. At this stage, every intervention aims to ensure a perfect balance between concentration, acidity and tannin structure.
Vendanges en Vert: Prioritizing Quality
Between July and August, winegrowers practice green harvesting, a technique that involves:
✔ Removing some of the still-green bunches, so that the vine concentrates its energy on the remaining fruit.
✔ Improving the concentration of aromas and sugars, guaranteeing more expressive, balanced wines.
✔ Promoting even ripening by limiting competition between bunches.
Managing Water Stress: A Major Challenge
In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, summers are hot and dry, with temperatures that can exceed 35°C. This Mediterranean climate is ideal for vines, but requires careful monitoring of water stress.
✔ Irrigation is strictly forbidden, except under exceptional dispensation to avoid major crop losses.
✔ Vines adapt naturally by plunging their roots deep into the soil, particularly in rolled pebbles, which release heat at night.
✔ Winegrowers carefully observe the condition of leaves and berries to avoid excessive concentration of sugars, which could unbalance the wine.
Autumn in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Harvest time
Autumn marks the culmination of a year’s hard work in the vineyards. Between September and October, the grape harvest finally begins, in an atmosphere that’s both festive and studious. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where each vintage is shaped by climate and terroir, the harvest is a crucial stage, requiring precision and know-how.
Manual Harvesting: A Preserved Tradition
At Châteauneuf-du-Pape, grapes are harvested by hand, in accordance with the appellation’s strict rules. This method allows:
✔ A rigorous selection of bunches directly from the vine, picking only perfectly ripe grapes.
✔ Better preservation of the berries, limiting oxidation and crushing of the fruit before it reaches the winery.
✔ Harvesting in several passes, allowing us to wait for the optimum ripeness of each plot.
Pickers roam the rows in the autumn sunshine, secateurs in hand, filling crates or hoods in an intense but friendly working atmosphere.
Careful transport: preserving the integrity of the grape
Once the bunches have been cut, they need to be transported to the cellar quickly and carefully, to avoid crushing or the early onset of fermentation.
✔ Use of shallow crates or bins to limit the pressure on the berries.
✔ Avoidance of long distances between the vines and the winery, to guarantee optimum freshness.
✔ Protection against oxidation, sometimes by means of light refrigeration, depending on the estate.
Patient work for exceptional wines
Each Châteauneuf-du-Pape vintage is the fruit of meticulous work, careful observation of nature and unwavering passion. From the first pruning in winter to the autumn harvest, every step counts to produce authentic, timeless wines.
Thanks to their commitment to tradition and innovation, the winegrowers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape continue to write the history of a vineyard unique in the world, where each bottle tells the story of the work of the vine and the love of the land. 🍷✨