Vine Pruning at Oatley

Iain and Jane kindly let me take part in pruning their vines. I was honoured, as this is integral to both this year's and next year's harvest. One wrong snip of the secateurs and it could be fatal — with that knowledge, I was nervous. I've read books on different types of pruning and training, but getting hands-on is the only way to truly understand the importance of this process.

I arrived at Oatley, and as always the sun was shining. Iain suggested we start at the top of the vineyard, a warmer spot — not tropical, but warmer nonetheless. The two varieties grown are Madeleine Angevine and Kernling. We started on the late-ripening Kernling. Before I was let loose on the vines, Iain walked me through the pruning style for this variety.

Double Guyot

The technique is called double guyot — replacing last year's cane with a one-year-old cane and positioning it horizontally to enable the shoots to grow vertically. Because the branches are brittle at this time of year, they wait until the sap rises to allow more flexibility. An extra spare cane may be left as a precaution, in case the chosen cane snaps during tying down.

Row K5

After watching Iain carefully, it was time to go it alone. I was given my own row — K5 — which I now have the honour of looking after right through to harvest. I suddenly felt like a mother. I have to nurture these vines to ensure they get enough sunlight, enough coverage to avoid burning, and good air circulation.

With Iain not far away, I made my first snip. It's a technical job and each vine is different — you have to choose the new cane that looks thick and healthy enough to become the main cane. From the photos you can see there's a lot of growth to choose from, which can make it difficult to see what's going on. I checked with Iain several times to ask for advice.

It takes Jane and Iain about an hour to do a row. It took me a good hour to do just over half a row. The weather turned and rain got heavy, so at that point we put the secateurs away and had a well-earned glass of Cava.

It was great to be part of the harvest back in Autumn with the sun out and the vineyard alive and buzzing. Seeing it now in dormant winter — bare canes, quiet rows — it still felt alive. Just resting. Peaceful.

Working today only reinforces the passion and respect I have for the continual cycle of each process. I eagerly await my next trip back to Oatley and K5.