Today on our blog we talk about a curious, unique process that catches your attention when you visit the vineyards of Arzuaga: the crying of the vines. But do you know what this crying is about? And why is it produced?
At a first glance, we see ‘tears’ in the cuts made to the vine, that start from the vine and fall to the ground. A phenomenon that occurs at certain times of pruning and that bears great similarity with this ‘crying’.
But, when and why does it occur?
Answering the first part of the question, the crying of the vine generally occurs during March and April. The fact that in these months the temperature increases after winter is not a coincidence, as far as this particularity is concerned. And it is that the crying is intimately related to this change.
It is at this point that we will explain you what it is and why it takes place. As we have already told you when we talk about pruning in Bodegas Arzuaga, between November and March, with frosts, the plant goes into a dormant period. At that time, the vine lowers its reserves to the roots. However, a few months later, when the soil temperature reaches ten degrees, the sap begins to go up coming from those root reserves with the aim of reaching all the shoots of the plant.
As they are cut and the vine does not have any water sprout, this sap is bled by the pruning cut. What we see as tears, therefore, is the sap itself dripping slowly.
This process, despite its beauty, can be harmful to the vineyard if it is not known and the proper precautions are not taken. And, if the cut made in the pruning is not the right one, the tear may fall on the vine instead of on the ground. If this has happened and frosts occur, it is possible that the bud from which the new clusters will grow freezes, spoiling that sprouting.
Thus, in vineyards, the crying or bleeding of the vine is not only a beautiful phenomenon at sight, it also means the arrival or coming of spring, as well as the closeness of sprouting, which will culminate with the growth of the new clusters of grapes.