The vines in the vineyard were pruned and trellised in November (Spring), and their long shoots needed to be trained along the trellis. This was a vigorous growing time for the vines, and leading up to this vintage, we saw some of them already producing the small bunches of inflorescences (flowers) that will eventually become fruit.
Spring is also a good time for grafting new varieties onto old rootstock. Just behind the winery we have a small vineyard of about twelve rows of Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is not a popular grape in Australia as a single variety, but is widely used as a blender with Cabernet Sauvignon in the traditional Bordeaux style. We have decided not to use it with our Cabernet, as we can produce wonderfully rich and juicy fruit from the Cabernet Sauvignon that grows in our Chri-Ro vineyard.
Therefore, rather than tear out the Cabernet Franc and start again, which could take more than two years before any decent fruit grows, we have grafted onto the vines. This means utilizing the very good, healthy root stock of the Cabernet Franc and growing Mataro onto it.
Dave and Josh were the two viticultural experts who were employed to carry out the task. First, they removed a patch of the older bark from the trunk of the vine where the new bud would be grafted.
Then a "T"-cut was made in the newer bark of the trunk. This is a vertical cut along one inch of the bark, with a cut across the top about half an inch. It is held open with the knife for the grafting bud to be placed. The bud is then slid into the "T"-cut on the trunk. To ensure the bud sits neatly, the boys cut a "V" into the bark that will then sit snugly around the new bud.
The buds have been pre-cut from the Mataro vines. They are shaped and placed in a small bucket of water to prevent them from drying out. The bud and trunk is then wrapped in nursery tape to hold it in place, prevent disease from getting in, and it drying out. The growing part of the bud is left uncovered.
The same action is performed on the opposite side of the trunk so that there are two buds on each trunk. It took about two weeks before the grafted buds started to show any growth, and that is when we determined the success rate of the procedure. In the interim, the Cabernet Franc was well pruned to allow most of the energy to transfer to the new buds. We won't remove the top of the vine until the new Mataro has completely 'taken'.
