Suckering is one of the most creative (and challenging) parts of winemaking. It is the process that determines the quantity and quality of the fruit that will be produced by the vines. You trim the vines to ensure that every shoot has just the right amount of fruit, and that every shoot is in just the right position for the fruit to grow to its full potential.
After pruning, suckering is key to maintaining the balance of a vine and creating the ideal structure of a vine to facilitate the grape growing process. If suckering does not take place the vine struggles to grow all the foliage and the fruit and the quality of the grapes would be poor.

Suckering involves trimming the vines so that only shoots that are in a desirable position are left on the vine and that shoots that have no fruit are removed so that the growing potential of the vine is maximized. The remaining fruit is then able to grow properly and eventually mature into premium grapes with which we can make your favourite Berrio wines.


Timing is of the essence with suckering. It must be done before the clusters blossom and before the shoots are too big. This focuses the vines growing potential on the fruit rather than on the shoots and foliage. So the grapes get all the good stuff!

The number of shoots left on a vine depends on the strength of the vine. These shoots will develop into canes about 1m long that provide a base for an ideal leaf area. The leaves are the “breathing” apparatus for the vine and with the solid bases they will be evenly spaced and well exposed to sunlight which will facilitate good air circulation. Good air circulation prevents fungal diseases and promotes sound fruit and ripening.

Later in the summer when the canes are fully developed the canes are hedged and the leaves thinned to create an ideal ripening canopy. Each cane grows one to two fruit clusters and the stage is set for production of premium grapes that we require to make The Berrio wine.


Shoot positioning is the part of the suckering process where shoots are arranged in a way that will ensure the leaves are exposed to the optimal amount of sunlight.

Attention to detail is of paramount importance in this process, decisions made in the vineyard at this time not only affect the quality of the fruit for this crop, but of all future crops too.