There’s a rhythm to life in the vineyard. From pruning the vines in winter, to suckering in Spring, to green drop a few weeks off, there’s a cycle to working among the vines. Right now we’re entering into the next phase of that process.

Leafing is the practice of removing leaves from the grape vine to expose the fruit that’s starting to grow this time of the year. The berries have already been pollinated and they are starting to turn into grapes that will eventually become our next vintage.

Why do we do it? While it might seem a little counterintuitive to remove leaves from a healthy, happy grapevine, there is a method to our madness. One of the most important reasons being that without leaves the grapes receive more exposure to sunlight, which, in turn, helps the maturation process. Leafing also helps fight off potential disease that could hit the grapes or the vine.

Check out the video as we discuss leafing by hand as well as by machine. And be sure to stop back tomorrow when we post the second part of our video series on leafing in the vineyards.