From Friuli, Italy, a team of robust Italian experts is spreading a different way of vine pruning throughout the wine world. The master pruners from Simonit & Sirch, named after the two companions who founded this school, have been present in our vineyards for 7 years now. They brilliantly impart their knowledge to our winegrowers, who have become staunch supporters of the method.
Recently, one of these master pruners was in Valais for an information evening for our loyal winegrowers. He was accompanied by Olivier Viret and Vivian Zufferey, the two essential viticulture specialists in French-speaking Switzerland.
Pruning a vine serves to control the harvest and ensure the longevity of the vine stock. These operations cause significant wounds to the vine stocks each year. The vine is the only woody plant that does not cover its pruning wounds. This is the entry point for wood diseases such as esca or eutypiosis. These diseases, caused by fungi, can be very brutal and lead to the sudden death of the vine stock (apoplexy). To date, no effective treatment is known. The only way to limit the invasion of this disease is to reduce the pruning wound surface and the proportion of dry wood as much as possible. This is where the Italian method is interesting, as it first seeks to understand the internal life of the vine stock.
Respecting the sap flow path remains an absolute necessity. The water column in the plant between the leaves and roots, vital for transporting water, mineral salts, and sugars produced by photosynthesis, can be interrupted by dry wood mutilated by excessively large pruning wounds. The balance of sap flow will then no longer be maintained to properly irrigate all the wood. And imbalance means danger for the plant. Wood diseases are among the most mysterious affecting vines. They are present in all wine-growing regions of the world, but preferably in regions with high humidity. Valais, with its dry climate, is less affected by this dangerous syndrome. The loss of these vine stocks also entails significant costs for the winegrower, who must regularly replace their plants. The Italian master pruners from Simonit & Sirch nevertheless remain very realistic: changing pruning techniques will not eradicate these wood diseases because they are present in the wood, as they are endophytic fungi. The goal is to build a vine stock that lives with the presence of this undesirable host. This is what makes this Italian approach absolutely fascinating; it provides winegrowers with a guide to prevent diseases, and preventing is already a form of healing!
