Pruning weights are the best way to monitor vine growth and vine size changes caused by vineyard management practices. It is easy to gather these data during routine, annual pruning.
Vineyard design and management methods that create vine balance will help sustain productive yields, achieve desired fruit quality and maintain vine health. Different climates across Oregon will affect strategies for achieving vine balance, but the basic approach is the same everywhere.
Crop thinning trials were studied during two seasons at two locations in the northern Willamette Valley of Oregon. At Willakenzie Estate (site #1), research vines were Pinot noir clone Dijon 113 on 3309 rootstocks trained to a double Guyot. Vines were established in 1996 at a spacing of 2.5 x...