Measure in the vineyard for the purpose of minimizing the yield. The grapes are halved on the vine. The best moment is the beginning of the ripening stage, when the berries are still small, hard and green. In contrast to thinning out (green harvest), where complete grapes are removed, this does not stimulate vine growth. The remaining berries now have more space and sag downwards. The resulting loose berries dry out more quickly after precipitation, which significantly reduces the risk of Botrytis attack. This means that the grapes can be left on the vine longer until harvesting. The positive effects are a higher extract content, a higher must weight and better physiological ripeness. Densely berried grape varieties such as the Pinot varieties are particularly suitable for this. However, the method is very laborious; an alternative is the less laborious grape breaking. The video (click to view) shows this process at the Mario J. Burkhart Winery in the municipality of Malterdingen (Breisgau, Baden). See a list of all care measures under vineyard care.
![]()
The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena