It is a site that no winery owner wants to see, bunches of fruit lying on the ground. But for a vineyard which is yielding for the first year it is a worthy investment.
Workers thinning fruit in the shiraz vineyard
Fruit thinning reduces the loads and stresses on the young vines and keeps them strong for future years. It also allows us to remove the weaker bunches which are slower to develop which will in turn allow the vines to concentrate their efforts on the remaining bunches and improve their quality. It is quite painful to watch, but the long-term benefits are obvious.