Once the harvest
is over, all the vineyards are ploughed again, starting with the earliest
varieties (the later-ripening vineyards were ploughed at the end of August
to keep them weed-free throughout the harvest). The Autumn rains have caused
a lot of weed growth in the vineyards, and ploughing now will keep the vineyards
clear throughout the winter. Nonetheless, this has been a very dry Autumn
compared to recent years.
After ploughing, Sergi
has rolled every other row in the vineyards to bury any stones lifted by
ploughing. The reasoning behind this is that when they prune the vines,
they will leave the prunings on the ground in every second row, and later
shred them, ploughing the resulting mulch back into the ground. Rolling
the ground where the mulching machine will pass avoids any damage to the
machine from loose stones. Every year they alternate which rows are used
so that the resulting organic matter is spread alternately on each side
of the vines. Furthermore, rolling now (first week in November) when the
ground is still dry flattens the ground, but doesn't compact it. Were the
soil damp now, the effect would be to create rock-hard crust for the winter
which is not desired.
