Pruning, de-budding, trellising, sometimes de-leafing, and crop thinning, mostly all of which are done by hand, combine to create this harmonious balance in the vines that is characteristic of a top quality vineyard. None of these tasks can be considered separately.

However, of all of them, pruning is the most important. The quality of the crop and the longevity of the plots depend on successful pruning. The number of buds left on the vine after pruning determines the delicate balance of the vine plant. If too many buds are left, the crop size will be too large, and therefore unable to reach a sufficient level of ripeness. On the other hand, a severe pruning, leaving too few buds, will lead to an excess of vigour and in turn will favour vine growth to the detriment of the ripening of the grapes. An optimal balance exists in not only every plot but also in every vine plant. Only the experienced vineyard workers can find this naturally. These men will work on the same plots every year, as part of their piece-work contract, sometimes for over thirty years - a lifetime's work devoted to a generation of vines. They maintain this balance in the vines and thereby help to prolong the life-span of the plants. Winter pruning merges into a spring 'green pruning' in the form of de-budding. This is firstly the removing of most of the young non fruit-bearing shoots to avoid an overabundance of vegetation that would deprive the future grape bunches of the necessary exposure to sunshine. Secondly, it concentrates the nutritive products made by the leaves in the direction of the fruit-bearing branches, which favours the ripening process. Finally, de-budding also enables the vineyard worker to select branches in advance which will serve for the next year's pruning, thus making that task easier and less damaging for the vine in avoiding needless brutal cutting and the resulting pruning wounds on the vines.