“I like it, we are not stressed!”

The time has come for pruning in the vineyards of Toulois. Unmissable activity, it conditions longevity and quality of the vine. In the Côte de Toul appellation area – around 120 ha – pruning began in mid-November and continues until March for the twenty or so wine growers who produce the AOC.

In his vineyard plot in Domgermain, Philippe Loevenbruck works alone and practices Guyot pruning. After the stump cutter and pruning shears have passed, there is only one branch left, called “baguette” on the vine. “It’s quite impressive! People who are not used to pruning would hesitate for a long time to make this gesture”, laughs the winegrower.

We remove a lot of it at once, there is hardly anything left!

Two hours to prune a whole row. A job that the winegrower appreciates: “It is one of the most interesting jobs in viticulture because each vine is different. And we have time! Unlike certain other tasks that take place in the middle of vegetation, where it’s running. Pruning. , we finally have 6 months to do it. I like to prune, we are not stressed! “

Precise gestures that ensure the good health of the vineyard. “If you don’t exaggerate the size, you can grow a vineyard easily over 60 years, 70 years and we even know centuries-old vines”, he emphasizes. Those of Philippe and Catherine Loevenbruck have thirty years and therefore still some beautiful bunches of grapes to produce!