What Happens in a Vineyard During Spring?
From budburst to flowering, spring marks the beginning of a brand-new growing season in the vineyards
After months of bare vines and quiet winter landscapes, September brings a noticeable change to the vineyards. The days become warmer, the landscape starts turning green again and seemingly overnight, tiny new shoots begin appearing along the vines.
Spring might look gentle from the outside, but in the vineyard, it's the beginning of one of the busiest and most important periods of the year. Long before there are bunches of ripe grapes ready for harvest, the foundations of the next vintage are already being laid.
So, what exactly happens in a vineyard when spring arrives?
The Vines Wake Up
During winter, grapevines enter a period of dormancy. They lose their leaves, growth above ground comes to a halt and the vines conserve their energy for the growing season ahead.
As temperatures begin to rise in spring, that changes.
The vine starts drawing on the reserves it stored during the previous season, and activity begins again. One of the earliest visible signs can be sap flow, sometimes called "bleeding", when sap appears at pruning cuts as the vine's internal systems become active again.
It might still look relatively quiet from a distance, but inside the vine, the new season is already underway.
Then Comes Budburst
Budburst is one of the first big milestones of the growing season and one of the clearest signs that the vineyard is waking up.The small buds that have remained dormant on the vine through winter begin to swell and open, revealing delicate green shoots.
Those tiny shoots don't look like much yet, but they're carrying the beginnings of the season ahead. As they develop, they'll produce the leaves that allow the vine to photosynthesise, as well as the structures that can eventually develop into bunches of grapes.
It's an exciting stage, but also a vulnerable one.
Fresh young growth is delicate, which means vineyard teams need to keep a close eye on weather conditions, vine health and the development of each block.
Suddenly, Everything Starts Growing
Once budburst has taken place, things can move surprisingly quickly. As the weather warms and daylight hours increase, shoots lengthen and new leaves unfold. The bare vineyard of winter gradually transforms into rows of fresh green growth.
This is also when vineyard management becomes increasingly hands-on.
Not every shoot growing on a vine is necessarily useful. Depending on the vineyard and how each vine is developing, unwanted shoots may be removed to help manage the canopy. The aim is to encourage healthy, balanced growth while making sure the developing vine has suitable access to sunlight and airflow.
Why Does the Canopy Matter?
The leafy part of a grapevine is known as its canopy, and managing it is an important part of growing healthy grapes.
Too much dense growth can create excessive shade and reduce airflow around developing fruit. Too little foliage, on the other hand, can leave grapes overly exposed to the sun later in the season.
Throughout spring and into summer, vineyard teams work to find the right balance.
Shoots may be positioned or trained along trellising systems, while unnecessary growth can be removed. Good canopy management helps create an environment in which both the vine and its developing fruit can thrive.
And because every growing season is different, there's no simple one-size-fits-all approach. The vineyard has to be observed and managed as conditions change.
The Beginnings of the Next Vintage Are Already There
One of the loveliest things about looking closely at a vineyard during spring is spotting what will eventually become the year's grape bunches.
Before grapes appear, tiny clusters of flowers develop on the new shoots. Grapevine flowers aren't particularly dramatic. They're small, green and easy to overlook, especially compared with the colourful blossoms we usually associate with spring.
But they're incredibly important.
As spring progresses, these tiny flowers will eventually bloom. Successful pollination and fertilisation allow fruit to begin forming, taking the vineyard into the next major stage of the growing season: fruit set. Those tiny spring flowers are therefore the predecessors of the grapes that could ultimately make their way into a future bottle of wine.
Spring Weather Matters
While sunshine and warmer temperatures encourage new growth, spring weather can also be unpredictable.
Temperature, rainfall, wind and other conditions can all influence how the vines develop. Later, weather during flowering can also affect how successfully flowers develop into berries.
That's one of the reasons you'll often hear winemakers talking about vintages individually. Wine is an agricultural product, and no two growing seasons are exactly alike. What happens in the vineyard throughout the year ultimately becomes part of the story of that particular vintage.
There's Plenty Happening Between the Rows, Too
Spring isn't only visible on the vines.
Warmer weather brings new life throughout the vineyard environment. Grasses and other vegetation begin growing between rows, insects become more active and the wider landscape starts changing after winter.
Managing what's happening beneath and between the vines forms another part of vineyard work during the growing season.
Depending on conditions and vineyard practices, this can involve managing weeds or cover crops, monitoring soil moisture and generally keeping an eye on the environment in which the vines are growing.A healthy vineyard isn't simply about what happens to the grapes. It's an entire growing environment that needs attention throughout the season.
From Tiny Shoots to a Future Glass of Wine
When you pour a finished wine into your glass, it's easy to think of its story beginning with ripe grapes arriving at the cellar. In reality, it started much earlier.
It began with winter pruning and dormant vines. With the first movement of sap as temperatures started to rise. With tiny buds breaking open and green shoots stretching towards the spring sunshine.
Over the coming months, those shoots will continue growing. Flowers will appear, berries will form and ripen, and eventually another harvest will arrive.
There's still a long journey ahead before any of this season's grapes reach the cellar.
For now, we're simply enjoying one of our favourite transformations of the year: watching the vineyards turn green again.
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