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 Before thinning, Pommard clone of Pinot Noir with a full crop load from Mother Nature.

Selecting clusters to thin…      Vine after thinning…                    Over half the crop removed

                    And in Oregon’s cool climate, our Syrah vines were thinned early

The wing: Mother Nature’s back-up plan.

Green berries on Pommard clone Pinot Noir wings show that the wing is ripening later than the main cluster. To enhance wine quality, the wings are removed while the main cluster is going through its final ripening stage.

                               Clusters before clipping their wings…                                                              And after

If the vine has excess vigor,  it will flower again in mid-summer. This is called green or “second crop” and is cut off along with the wings.

The vine produces excess fruit to achieve its goal of creating ripe seeds to reproduce.

To make the best wine, we remove the excess fruit and green crop. This leaves us with the best the vine and Mother Nature has to offer for the season.