I am in Olso, Norway on pleasure but I cannot resist checking out the government liquor store in the centre of town. The sale of wine and spirits in Scandinavia is strictly controlled by the government and has been for 100 years. No guesses why. Vinmonopolet is the operation in Norway.
Read MoreI am in Olso, Norway on pleasure but I cannot resist checking out the government liquor store in the centre of town. The sale of wine and spirits in Scandinavia is strictly controlled by the government and has been for 100 years. No guesses why. Vinmonopolet is the operation in Norway.
Read MoreIt has been blowing a hooley for the last few days together with driving rain. I have dressed up like a spaceman to face the elements to start the long process of winter pruning.
Read MoreAnother month of light duties. As I walk Ludo in the morning, I wander down several vine rows, thinking about how I might tackle pruning a few tricky fellas. Some have unproductive limbs that will need surgery — with due care that the ensuing dieback from the wound does not spread into the healthy centre of the crown. Better small cuts each year rather than one large on.
Read MoreThis is the time of year, after months of slog, to put one’s feet up and do nothing in the vineyard — or at least next to nothing. There is one final biodynamic spray to do: horn manure (BD500) plus a compost mix, all for soil improvement. I pick a day when there is no frost on the ground as this is very important.
Read MoreThere were shredded nerves in the run-up to harvest this year — plus ca change. Life in the vineyard would not be the same without the regular existential crisis. We actually began to wonder in late September whether the grapes would even reach the required sugar levels before the autumn closed in.
Read MoreIn a bid to give the vines resistance to mildew, we use plants with medicinal properties out of which we make ‘teas’ for spraying during the rainy July.
Read MoreOne of the highlights during June was a visit to Offbeat Winery in Downton, just outside Salisbury, to meet up with Daniel and Nicola (and Jarvis the cocker spaniel), our winemakers, in order to sample the 2022 wines prior to bottling (tirage).
Read MoreIt has been a while since the last vineyard missive — naughty me, once again – during which time we have successfully survived spring without mishap from overnight frost.
Read MoreOut trusty Romanians are here seen tying the vines with strict instruction on what to tie to the fruiting wire and what to leave until after the danger of frost passes.
Read MoreWinter pruning commences. A grueling month of removing last year’s canopy, selecting this year’s fruiting cane and spur (next year’s cane).
Read MoreThis is the month where the vineyard rests but there is plenty of work to be done in the winery plus lots of planning for the coming season.
Read MoreTemperatures for the last week have been sub-zero. This photo shows a hoar frost enveloping the vines which lasted throughout the day. Good news for killing any nasty mildew spores hanging around the vineyard.
Read MoreDaniel is seen here siphoning samples from our barrels of the 2022 juice for us to taste. These four oak barrels shown in the photo hold some of the cuvée and the taille (the second pressing) from both our chardonnay and pinot noir.
Read MoreWe pressed the button early in the middle of October: the grapes came off in a total of 6 hours after 7 months of close attention and nurture
Read MoreIf you look carefully you will see some blue bird netting on the outside row of the chardonnay field. As the bunches get riper, birds such as blackbirds start to peck away. This year we are trialling netting to the outside rows in a bid to deter them.
Read MoreA balloon drifts over the vineyard early one morning, with that tell-tail whoosh of the burners as it lifts over the woods nearby…
Read MoreIt aint half hot Mum!
Read MoreWe are at Cobbs just outside Hungerford for this year’s English Wine & Food Festival run by Thames & Chilterns Vineyards Association…
Read More11th May, we have 3 leaves out and all is looking even and healthy. We suffered a severe night frost on 25 April and the heated wires came on.
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