Page 31 - Grapevine July-August 2015
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Around The Vineyard
Discovering Canopy
Management Trends By Vanessa Caceres
Canopy management is where the quality of
wine truly begins, said Rodrigo Soto, chief Department of Horticulture, Oregon Wine Research
winemaker, Huneeus Vinters, Casablanca, Institute in Corvallis, Ore. This approach is particu-
Chile. Yet the way a winemaker goes about canopy larly helpful in the cooler parts of the state, such as
management can vary tremendously depending on western Oregon’s Williamette Valley, she said.
your location and philosophy on growing grapes. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen growers going
Here are a few canopy management trends from dif- toward more leaf removal in the cluster zone on
ferent parts of the winegrowing world. these VSP-trained vines, with a focus on opening up
the cluster zone earlier in the growing season and at
Oregon greater leaf pulling intensities,” Skinkis said.
Most of the vineyards in Oregon are now trained In the past, growers would leaf pull closer to
to vertical shoot position (VSP) Guyot, said Patricia bunch closure or later, and they’d only do on the
A. Skinkis, PhD, viticulture extension specialist morning-sun side of the canopy. “After conduct-
and associate professor, Oregon State University, ing research trials on cluster zone leaf removal, we
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