Autumn Break
Once the hard labor of harvest is over, the vineyards are tinged with warm colors: shades of ochre, orange and yellow gain a visual power over the rocky backdrop of the Andes Mountain range.
Vines begin to sense the fall in temperatures and get ready for dormancy by transferring nutrients from its yearly parts, such as leaves, which are bound to fall at this time of year, to perennial parts, the trunk and root system, which will endure all types of weather conditions in the coming seasons. Right after picking – when most of the energy available has been used up to produce clusters and fill them with berries – the vines slow down their metabolism so that little activity occurs until warmer temperatures awaken them into a renewed and fruitful life cycle.
As leaves start falling from the vine, specific viticulture practices are carried out. Over the months following the harvest, vineyards are fed with nutrients, mulched and irrigated so that the soil structure is enhanced for the ensuing season.
The provision of nutrients to the soil will help vines thrive over the new life cycle – marked by further root growth and bud break – as they arise from dormancy without functional leaves, that is, lacking the capacity to process nutrients. The shoots will survive on stored carbohydrates only until they are between 15 and 20 cm long.
Irrigation activities, which were halted before harvest to allow for the concentration of tannins and polyphenols, are resumed at this point along with soil management practices. In a constant effort to preserve nature, a layer of pomace (grape skins) is spread all over the ground to enrich the soil so that it can withstand the climatic phenomena ahead.
Autumn has already arrived. Days are becoming chilly and the Tupungato sky is clean and vast. Nature is getting ready for its well-deserved rest, vines ease into dormancy but our work continues relentlessly seeking to safeguard this promising period of apparent inactivity so the best fruit can give us the best wine.