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Category Archive for: ‘Diary of the Vineyard’

The month opens on the bright note of a brilliantly blue sky, and the Pyrenees arranged along our horizon in an orderly fashion, full of alpenglow and glistening snow.  The air is crisp.  It is unbelievably beautiful. Monsieur L comes to the office for his pay.  There is a big smile across his face.  The […]

Convention dictates that we all are  happy and positive and looking forward to a big, brilliant and beautiful year.  But despite nagging doubts – after all, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Just one year ago to the day? – we  can’t help believing that this finally will be the vintage year we’ve all been waiting for.  A […]

It’s a cliché to say the nights are drawing in like a wooly blanket, and the wind has a glacial, steely look to its eye, but there is no denying that winter is here, however you say it.  We’re steaming ahead with the pruning, and all hands are on board – and what hardy  hands they are […]

This is such a lovely time in such a lovely place.  Gold, pure gold.  Crisp, clean, clear.  The temperature rises a few degrees and little puffs of mist drift up from the vines  like cloud-dust.  And then it drops again.  Autumn is gorgeous either way.   Monday 8 November We return from Ireland and bring the rain with us. […]

Thursday September 9 The Guide Hachette 2022 is published today.  Granddaddy of wine guides, it is universally respected but not universally loved.  Sometimes they ignore brilliant wines – but some times they get it just right.  (Particularly when they like  your own wines….). But that’s the nature of wine guides, wine competitions and wine critics: it […]