Here we are sitting and playing cards in the kitchen – its 11.30 at night , the fan blasting at our feet to keep cool while a thunder and lighting rage outside. Day time its 30 degrees / night is hot and humid. This is normal . The weather doesn’t behave.
We are in limbo. At the mercy of friendships and the elements, the frustration is mounting but the weather is taunting us. A group of friends from London have made the trip to help pick but the grapes are refusing to be ready at the right time. Obviously this is too much to ask but now they are beginning to transform from delicate tangy fruits to musty, vinegary smelling slightly squidgy wrinkled balls. This is not acceptable, how dare they !
All summer we have had no rain – for 10 weeks on the trot is was so hot and now when the crucial time is here for them to ripen the rain starts. We had a torrential downpour in one night and it reduced the sugar content so much that when we go out to take a sugar reading a week later with our oenologue Nicolas it was lower than when we started a week ago and it keeps going down.
qaBut now an ominous vinegary smell accompanies us on our nightly strolls up to the vineyards. The rot has taken hold – we need a string of sunny days to ripen them and pick.
Perhaps it will all change – sure is not sure here. As our vigneron ( who no longer wants to make wine ) in the Mas says – “nobody’s died have they” ? But the organic way means you cant chuck in loads of sugar to increase the alcohol or chemicals to kill the rot ……………
so we have hope and a good number of unused secateurs and friends leaving at the weekend.
Pass me another glass of rosé………