098: 3 Overlooked Vineyard Management Tasks that Pay Big Dividends
From Vineyard Underground by Fritz Westover
May 26, 2026 · 32 min · Episode 98
About this episode
Fritz Westover discusses three often-overlooked vineyard management tasks that significantly impact vine health and fruit quality.
Small vineyard decisions made early in the season can create major ripple effects later in the year, and in this episode, Fritz breaks down three vineyard management tasks that are frequently skipped, delayed, or underestimated despite their outsized impact on vine health, fruit quality, and long-term vineyard performance. Fritz focuses first on shoot thinning and explains why timing is everything. He walks through the economic and practical advantages of thinning early, including improved spray penetration, better airflow, easier hand harvesting, and even reduced pruning labor during dormancy. He then explains why bloom and veraison sampling windows are critical for understanding nutrient status and preventing deficiencies before they become costly problems. Lastly, he tackles water stress monitoring and the common misconceptions surrounding vineyard stress. Listen in for practical ways growers can monitor irrigation effectiveness, evaluate soil moisture, and avoid relying solely on visual assumptions about vine stress levels. Remember, better data leads to better vineyard decisions. In this episode, you will hear: Early shoot thinning can improve fruit quality, airflow, spray…
People in this episode
Host: Fritz Westover
Topics covered
- vineyard management
- shoot thinning
- nutrient status
- water stress monitoring
- vine health
- fruit quality
Keywords
- vineyard management
- shoot thinning
- bloom sampling
- veraison sampling
- water stress monitoring
- nutrient deficiencies
- irrigation effectiveness
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