In order to get the vines fit for the 2023 vintage, people work hard in Saxony’s vineyards in winter. Along with harvesting, pruning is one of the most complex jobs and lays the foundation for the harvest next autumn.
Meissen (dpa/sn) – So far, the winegrowers in Saxony are confident of bringing in a good vintage this year. “If precipitation continues to fall and the water reserves in the subsoil can be replenished and there is no late frost, we could start the 2023 wine-growing season very well,” said Felix Hößelbarth, Chairman of the Saxon Winegrowers’ Association. He currently sees no threat scenario that could jeopardize this year’s yield.
The vines have come through the winter very well so far. “There were only a few cold days and the temperatures only fell slightly below minus ten degrees Celsius,” says Hößelbarth. There is currently no risk of winter frost. “The precipitation from November to February was almost at the level of the long-term average, which is also positive, since the dryness in the subsoil is unfortunately far from being compensated for.”
At Proschwitz Castle, the employees of the winery are currently in the final stages of the so-called pruning. This is one of the most important operations in the vineyard and sets the course for the coming wine year and the development of the vines. “If the late frosts spare us, we expect an even budding due to the top health of the shoots,” said the winery manager Björn Probst. He would like more precipitation this year in order to be able to compensate for the extreme deficit of the past year.
The pruning of the vines usually takes several months. According to Probst, the first two days of heavy frost in December signal the beginning of pruning at Proschwitz Castle. “Because then the vine is in “hibernation” and the intervention is as little stress as possible,” explains Probst. After that – at the end of February, mid-March – the preparations end and the actual work in viticulture begins.