Peirano Estate Vineyard Ingenuity

Two-Wire Catch System

In the later 1960s, an evolutionary harvesting machine was developed to reduce the cost accrued by the expensive alternative of hand harvesting, which was used up to this point.  To accommodate this machine, a bilateral cordon system was developed and implemented.  It used cordon wires to connect the vines in a row, allowing the arms to spread up and over the wire.  As the harvesting machine worked through the vineyards slapping the vines, the trunks would jerk and a shock wave would flow thru the wires, separating the grapes from the stems.  Though this helped to simplify the harvesting process, the system also created an unwanted California Sprawl.  This is when an excessive number of foliage rolls over the fruit and the cordon wires adversely cover the clusters from the sun, resulting in less than quality fruit.  In desperate need of improvement, Lance took it upon himself to accept the challenge of finding a solution to the system.  Initially, he installed a single catch wire two feet above the cordon wire to help position the shoots, but it only provided for marginal benefits. After several rounds of experimentation, he developed the existing two-wire catch system and installed it two feet above the cordon wire.  This improvement allows for Lance to position the rapidly growing shoots between the two catch wires, preventing them from rolling over and covering the fruit that was developing below the cordon wire.  The fruit, in turn, is able to receive an ample amount of sunlight so it can, eventually, produce quality wine.  This farming system is used on Peirano’s Chardonnay vines, creating exceptional conditions to please any winemaker.