January is the month of pruning – a work for the very hardiest of vineyard workers. Beginning 2008 the nature bestowed us with the most beautiful frost.

According to legend, a donkey first nibbled on the wood of a vine, which then produced bigger and sweeter grapes on the remaining branches. Pruning is the basis of all work in the vineyards: it determines the distribution of grapes, shoots and leaves.

Cutting the wood diminishes the number of branches and therefore also the leaves and grapes. The remaining shoots must have perfect sun exposure and be a perfect support for not too many grapes. Throughout the Bründlmayer estate, we are looking for average yields of about 4,000 litres per hectare.

Winter pruning is the first possibility of limiting yields and creating qualities. Later stages such as green harvest are cannot recoup what has been lost by bad or insufficient pruning.

All pruning should be finished by the end of March so that everything is ready for the first shoots.