About Champagne - Spring in Champagne

Spring

Pruning of the vines takes up most of this period. In the Spring, new growth begins to appear. Every day is now spent controlling the vines' development by palissage (support on wire fences), pruning, and removal of buds, and in protecting the potential harvest. Variations in the climate can cause differences between early and late years of more than twenty days.

Binding

Binding from February to April (90 hours per hectare). This involves binding the vines' branches to wires and is usually done in mid-April. Growth begins in a phase known as the débourrement. This must be controlled because if it is allowed to become excessive it could compromise the quality of the harvest.

Lifting

Lifting (120 hours per hectare) is carried out in two stages from mid-May to the beginning of July. The shoots are directed upwards so that they benefit from more light. They are attached to wires above the vines that provide support for the grape bearing shoots. This takes place before flowering. - palissage consists of then placing clips, having evenly distributed the foliage, to attach the shoots to the upper wires (the vines reach a height of about 1.20 metres).

Good Ventilation

The objective of the lifting and palissage is to encourage photosynthesis by providing good ventilation to the foliage, which also helps prevent moisture in the bunches of grapes, thereby reducing the risk of botrytis mould developing. Good distribution of  sugars (synthesized by the leaves) between the plant and the fruit is a major factor in the quality of the grapes. - ébourgeonnage is the removal of unnecessary shoots, thereby encouraging those bearing fruit.