The Quick Scoop on: Planting
In case you thought that grapevines were planted from seeds and grown on their own roots, think again. In fact, they pretty much never are!
To produce the best and most resilient grapevines, two things are critical:
- the varietal cutting: consisting of a scion (a living ‘twig’ from the desired vine variety) with 2 buds. In the photo above, the variety Sauvignon Blanc is used.
- the rootstock: selected by the grower for its resistance to certain pests, mainly phylloxera, or climatic hazards like drought.
The scion is coated in wax to protect it from drying out and the 2 pieces are grafted together and planted in late winter or early spring.
After about 2 weeks, the new buds will push through the wax – the lower of the two becoming the vine’s new, main stock.
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