The Year in a Virginia Vineyard – Part 5: Winter in the Vineyard and Winery

Welcome back to The Year in a Virginia Vineyard.

In Part 4: Fall After Harvest, we watched vines wind down for winter while soils were replenished and vineyards tidied. Now, as frosts settle over Virginia’s hills and the vines stand bare against the landscape, it may seem as though the vineyard is asleep.

And it is — at least above ground. Winter is a time of dormancy in the vineyard, but it’s also when some of the most deliberate viticultural decisions are made. Meanwhile, in the winery, things are anything but quiet: fermentations bubble, barrels breathe, and the vintage begins to take shape.

Dormancy: The Vineyard at Rest

From December through February, Virginia vineyards look stark and skeletal. Without leaves, they resemble rows of weathered wood posts, dotted with curling tendrils. This rest period is vital.

Dormancy protects vines from winter cold and conserves energy. All the sugars and nutrients gathered during fall have been stored in the roots, where they’ll remain until spring. In this phase, the vines can withstand freezing temperatures that would otherwise damage active tissues.

For vineyard workers, winter is the only time the plants allow for serious intervention: pruning.

Pruning: Precision Cuts for the Future

Pruning is the single most important vineyard task of winter. Armed with shears, workers move row by row, cutting back the previous year’s canes and leaving only a few buds per vine. These buds are where spring’s shoots — and next year’s grape clusters — will emerge.

The philosophy of pruning is part science, part artistry:

• Too many buds: The vine spreads its energy too thin, producing lots of fruit but at lower quality.
   
• Too few buds: The vine grows too vigorously, with fewer clusters and excess leafy growth.
   
• The right balance: The vine channels its energy into a manageable number of shoots and clusters, yielding concentrated, flavorful grapes.
   

Virginia’s humid summers demand particular care in pruning. Varieties like Petit Manseng benefit from looser spacing to allow airflow, while reds like Cabernet Franc require just enough exposure to ensure tannins ripen without losing acidity.

This is slow, meticulous work, often done in frigid temperatures with numb fingers. But each cut shapes the vineyard’s destiny.

Protecting the Vineyard

Winter isn’t without risks. Severe cold snaps — especially below zero — can damage buds or trunks. In some regions, growers mound soil around the base of young vines to insulate graft unions. Wildlife can also pose problems: deer and rabbits find young canes tasty when food is scarce, so fencing and repellents are often reinforced.

Even in dormancy, vigilance matters.

Inside the Winery: From Juice to Wine

While the vineyard sleeps, the winery buzzes. Harvest’s chaos has subsided, but the real alchemy of winemaking is underway.

• White wines (like Viognier or Albariño) often finish fermentation in stainless steel, preserving freshness and aromatics. Others, such as Chardonnay, may ferment or age in oak, developing richness and complexity.
   
• Red wines continue maceration and fermentation on their skins through fall, before being pressed and transferred to barrels in winter. Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, for example, spend months in oak, softening tannins and layering spice and structure.
   
• Sparkling wines may undergo secondary fermentation in bottle, beginning their slow transformation into effervescent elegance.
   

Cellars are filled with the aromas of yeast, oak, and fermenting fruit — a warm contrast to the chill outside.

The Winemaker’s Decisions

Winter is when winemakers make some of their most defining calls:

• Which lots to age in oak, and which in stainless?
   
• Which barrels will contribute to the reserve wines, and which to the lighter blends?
   
• Should they allow malolactic fermentation (softening acidity), or preserve the sharper brightness?
   

Blending trials also begin in earnest, especially for Virginia’s Bordeaux-style reds. Winemakers taste, adjust, and re-taste, crafting cuvées that balance varietal character with the quirks of the vintage.

The Mood of Winter

Winter in Virginia vineyards feels contemplative. The vines stand silent, but the winery hums with purposeful energy. Growers bundle against the cold, shears clicking rhythmically through rows, while winemakers huddle over glasses, debating the direction of the vintage.

It’s a season of patience, planning, and promise. Though the vines appear lifeless, the groundwork for the next year’s harvest — and the wines already in barrel — is quietly being laid.

Looking Ahead

By February, pruning is nearly complete, and both vineyard and winery brace for the next cycle. Soon, buds will swell, sap will flow, and the anxious energy of spring will return.

In Part 6: Early Spring in the Vineyard, we’ll see how growers prepare for the first stirrings of life — from soil preparation to trellis repair — and why those fragile early weeks are some of the most critical of the year.