Pruning Vines in the Winter

It’s an exceptionally cold winter in France this year and everybody from Paris to Marseilles is covered in an unexpectedly thick sheet of snow. We are enjoying it in the Languedoc too as the vines can always use a good frost. The plants harden and green vines turn to woody tentacles that latch on to the wire trellis system so hard you think you’ll need the jaws of life.

Most of the locals who prune professionally refuse to work with us because our trellis system (four wires) supports the plants too much. They need to be doing a plant every twenty seconds to make a decent wage. That means spur pruning AND ripping off all the growth. As you can see in this video, my dad is just pruning. A future video will feature how I run around behind him tearing down all the vegetation that he has pruned. But in this one we see the solemn slow work of cutting down vines and letting them hang on the wires.

It’s pretty tedious but it’s sort of beautiful (especially with snow on the ground). Some people will enjoy this movie and it’s slow pacing across the frozen tundra and its light sense of nostalgia for sunny Florida where I spent my December in beach-going weather. Others will think I am an artsy fart. Such is life. Enjoy the video.

How to find us

Domaine O’Vineyards, located in the North Arrondissement of Carcassonne, is just minutes from the Carcassonne train station, the Medieval City, and the Carcassonne Airport.
GPS coordinates: 43.259622, 2.340387

O’Vineyards
Wine, Dine, Relax at our Boutique Vineyard
Unique thing to do in Carcassonne
Wine Cellar. Winery Visits. Wine Tasting.
Wine & Food Pairing

North Arrondissement of Carcassonne
885 Avenue de la Montagne Noire
11620 Villemoustaussou, France
Tel: +33(0) 630 189 910

  1. Best by GPS.
    Follow the signs to Mazamet/ Villemoustaussou using the D118. At the end of the last straight part of D118, you will come to a roundabout with the Dyneff gas station.
  2. Take the exit towards Pennautier. Continue 500m to a small roundabout and go straight over.
  3. Look out for the second road on your right, Avenue des Cévennes which curves up hill (about 1km) to Avenue de la Montagne Noire on the left.
  4. At the last juction, bear left. the road sign “Ave de la Montagne Noire” (confusing as it seems to show a right turn)
  5. After another 500m you will see our red brick color building in the middle of the vines.
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