Here are some lovely ripe Muscat grapes that were picked and processed on Friday. These grapes will be destined for a light fresh blend..probably with Vermentino, Grenache Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.
We checked out some of the Syrah vineyards that had been hit hard by the hail storm on Thursday evening. The result has been that the grapes were picked yesterday (Saturday) and brought straight in to the winery. The decision being that they are not going to be in good condition if they are left on the vines, so it is best to pick a bit early now and a decent rose wine might be salvaged. It was strange to see the winery in full go at 6.45pm on Saturday evening when most of the French struggle to work a full 5 days most weeks. They had received 30 tonnes of grapes during the day. So this was evidently serious!
We had more rain last night (started at 5.45pm and lasted 90 minutes), but the wind has been a bit stronger and the vines are clearing. Lovely bright and very warm, sunny day on Sunday. The main part of the red grapes will be picked this coming fortnight.
2 comments:
I heard that one vineyard owner near Minerve lost 20 hectares in 10 minutes. The vineyards were completely decimated. Even if the owners were insured against hail damage, it is unlikely to cover them completely eg against reduced crop next year etc.
That's farming for you.
Love the blog by the way Hamish!
Jules. Good to hear from you! Crikey that sounds pretty drastic 20ha in 10 minutes. I had heard of a lump of ice weighing 500grams landing up towards St Jean de Minervois. But 20 hectares is a livelihood...I am sure we will find out more over the coming days. Thanks for the comments on the blog.
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