Vineyard Establishment

A vineyard’s establishment requires prior planning involving the selection of the grape and rootstock varieties and certain factors of the training system, namely vine architecture and planting layout. All choices should be made with quality production as the primary objective, while accounting for the costs of establishing and, subsequently, maintaining the vineyard. While the choice of grape variety and rootstock is determined by the characteristics of the site (soil and climate) and the final product (DOC Vinho Verde, PGI Minho), the choice of training system is closely linked to the operational requirements of the future vineyard, particularly regarding mechanization and labor requirements. Experience suggests that it is preferable to incur higher establishment costs (from site preparation to the number and dimensions of posts and wires) in order to reduce subsequent maintenance costs.