Leaf Pulling

We're almost done with pulling leaves in the vineyard. We pull leaves where they shade the grape clusters on the morning side. We also remove leaves from the crowded interior to allow the first rays of daylight to bathe the entire fruiting zone.

Just like you and I need sunlight to stave off Vitamin D deficiencies and to keep the winter blues at bay, the grapes need the sunlight to produce more complex flavors and deeper colors. A sunlight-exposed grape is a healthier grape, providing us with more of the healthful compounds that we get from enjoying the wonderful elixir that is wine.

But also, as for you and me, grapes can get too much of a good thing. Grapes can get sunburned!
So we retain those leaves that provide shade from the hot afternoon sun. On an East-West-oriented row, we pick leaves only on the North side of the vine row, whereas on a North-South row, we're removing only the leaves on the Eastern side.

It's a lot of hand work that shows up in the bottle. As some who have stopped by Clary Ranch for a visit have found, it can be a meditative experience, focusing on the next leaf, the next cluster...
By the time we've finished the job, every single vine has been the object of careful attention. In the end, the fruit is visible and it makes "guesstimating" the crop a whole lot easier. Now, just how accurate a guesstimate might be is the subject for another day.