"Winter, either bites with its teeth or lashes with its tail”
Proverb
The F Word.
This particular "F word", every bit as offensive as the other 'f word' to viticulturalists, is 'Frost'
And it's a bugger.
This year has been, well, we all have various choice words for it, but for many of the french wine making community it has been simply catastrophic.
Often at this time of year a late frost happens and often its around 0 to -1 for a night, and only touches the lower lying parts of the vineyard. This year so far, we've had 3 nights of between -2 to -4 and we've been the lucky ones.
In parts of the Jura and Beaujolais they've had 5 nights of -6 to -9. many, to most, have lost everything.
There are, of course things one can do against the frost.
1: be insured... an option only for the very grandest vineyards.
2: Wind turbines to mix the the different layers of air temperatures, also very expensive.
3: Helicopters that fly low over the vineyards pushing the warmer air down; I refer you to answers 1 & 2.
4: Spraying water onto the vines so that it freezes and, counter intuitively, creates heat that protects the vine, then is allowed to defrost slowly.... very effective but again very expensive to set up.
5: Paraffin wax candles. As a minimum our vineyard would need roughly 1,200 for protection to -2. This option is a possibility for the future and although less expensive than other options is still pricey, and the candles last for only 8 hours, two nights worth, and you need a team of 10-20 people to light them all.
So this is the interesting fact, its not just the cold that kills the shoots but the combination of that with the sun hitting them and scorching them.
So on the night we went with the only option available to us... hay bales and a watering can or two. watering the burning bales creates, in theory, a smokescreen between the sun and the vines as well as creating heat.
Well that's the theory.... at least Max enjoyed himself as we ran about mostly watering ourselves.
Our saving grace has been non of the above measures but rather good vineyard practice. We made the decision to prune very late, we finished only 2 weeks ago, this delays bud break and consequently many buds were not open or at the vulnerable "cotton" stage.
We mowed the grass as short as possible on alternate rows. This prevents cold air being trapped in the long grass.
We also ploughed every other row. The dark soil absorbs the heat of the day and releases it at night raising the temperature near the ground. Where does this leave us? At the wait-and-see stage, but we're hopeful of a reasonable crop still.
Quiz:
Which country drinks more wine per capita than any other? (answer below)
"Taille tôt, taille tard, rien ne vaut la taille de Mars !"
(prune early, prune late but nothing beats a March pruning)
Proverb
What's next, Vineyard?
Answer: Tying in !
We've started and ordinarily would be mostly finished by now. This year being what it is however, we've paused until the end of this week when the current cold period will be done!
What we are listening to:
P JS Bach Cantatas, John Eliot Gardiner.
C Audio Book 'Thursday Murder Club"
Richard Osman
The end of the possible frosts however is not until Les Saintes Glaces... the ice saints.
St. Mamertus , St Pancras and St. Servatius, so called as their feast days fall on the 11th, 12th and 13th May.
The 13th May then is when we shall stop obsessively cross referencing 6 different weather apps.
Shopping
We've started to hunt down the equipment needed for the chai (winemaking facility).
Last week we went to a vineyard in St. Emillion to view a 60 hectolitre tank that we've agreed to buy, and the previous week we went to a village near the famous sweet wine district of Sauterns. There we viewed a 100hl stainless steel tank that is ideal, but part of the ceiling has been built around it so the logistics are going to be challenging.
In Numbers.
It takes 400 6lt biofuel candles to protect a hectare against a frost of -3
Investment
The wheels of bureaucracy are turning as fast as possible for the formation of our new company. We have been informed by the notaire handling the formation that the process can take months, so we respectfully ask for your patience while the process grinds onwards.
We will be in touch with you individually in the near future with further information.
Until then thanks again for your support. .
Next month: The struggle against another foe of grapes, mildew, begins.
Let us know your thoughts....
Quiz Answer: Vatican City
It drinks the most wine per capita at 74 litres per person per year, that's double the amount than Italy.