Saturday December 1
Waning, descending moon, time to prune.
Monsieur Li starts his long, lonely journey through the vines today, addressing each one of them in person and by hand. He uses old fashioned, heavy secateurs instead of the modern electric ones, for reasons best known to himself. That is how he likes to do it. And Monsieur Li likes to do it the way he likes to do it.
We like him to do it according to the rhythms of the moon, which he likes too, but of course, that’s impossible if you’re talking about 88,800 vines. Even for Monsieur Li, who is very fast. So the top fields have top priority. And during the waning, descending moon period, those are the fields he concentrates on.
Tuesday 4 December
Jan-Ailbe and Ahmed have to use a high-powered drill to get through the soil and Benson supervises. He’s proving to be quite good at 
supervising. They’re putting a fence around the field to keep the wild boar away from the new plantation.
They’ve been asked to keep an eye open for traces of Roman ruins. They exist. They’ve been found in the village, and elsewhere, just down the road. But it seems they don’t exist here. Or else their hearts just aren’t in it.
Jan has bought a large bottle of absolutely foul perfume, perhaps the most effective weapon in his arsenal of anti-boar munitions. He will tie strips of perfume-drenched ribbon at various points, and that will probably work as well as, if not better than, this new fence they’re labouring over.
Wednesday 5 December
Today they’re preparing the holes to put the oaks into tomorrow. There’s Ambre and Maëlik, Ahmed and Jan-Ailbe, all working and positively skipping over the field with the joys of autumn. The sun is shining, the view is spectacular. It is glorious to be alive and on that hill right now, on a day like today.
And there’s 
also Ambre and Maëlik’s goat, last seen happily gambolling around in equal delight, and helping herself to miscellaneous greenery. She takes advantage of the general distraction, and installs herself in the tractor. In the driver’s seat, ready to roll.
She’s a clever goat. An ambitious goat. A goat with grit and a goat with hope.
Ahmed really gets on with her. They have been caught having little cuddles when no one is looking. Maëlik and Ambre normally transport their goat in the back of the car. I think she even comes trotting up obediently when whistled for. According to Jan-Ailbe, she is better-behaved than their dog.
Trouble is, the goat doesn’t appear to want to get out. This is a goat with a goal, and she won’t loose sight of it.
Thursday 6 December
Incredibly, all 430 oaks have been planted, each one by hand and with huge care and attention. it is one of the best possible days for this to boot, according to the lunar calendar. And today we’re giving 10 L of water to each and every sapling, to get it going.
Jan-Ailbe cannot keep the smile off his face. Everything, so far, absolutely everything has gone on time and according to plan. It is almost too good to be true.
At the end of the day, as the dark night starts settling comfortably over the shoulders on the hills, Jan-Ailbe is still standing on the crest, looking down at his field. Smiling.
Thursday 13 December
Christmas lunch today in Toulouse with the Vinifilles. It’s going to be a long day.
We meet up at a café down one of Toulouse’s narrow, winding, medieval streets, and spread ourselves liberally across its entire space for a quick discussion and dissection of Vinifilles matters. Sophie reminds everyone about the ‘soft pruning’ session, Véro concentrates on the details of the Vinifilles’ wine tasting for professionals next month, Fanny talks about who we should send our famous cook book to. The waitress sidles up and asks in the nicest way possible, how long will you ladies be here? I’m only asking because we’re opening for lunch in three minutes …
So we wind up and pile down the stairs of Py-R, a Michelin* restaurant in what seems to be an
underground vaulted former storage space. It’s a lovely place, and the food is amazing. Even more amazing are the wines the Vinifilles have brought for the occasion: not ours, but wines from other regions.
Steven Spurrier’s rosé sparkling wine is pitted against a French Champagne of the same vintage: it passes the taste test of palates that have already criticised the chef for cutting his olives into halves instead of quarters, with flying colours. So that is high praise indeed – not a single negative word came from these critical mouths about the British intruder.
And it was late when I left. Going up the stairs to the exit, I stumbled across a well-dressed man clutching Laetitia and Cathy’s hands, one in each, it seemed. “You could be sisters!” he is exuding enthusiastically, “Such passion … such creativity!” And then he drops theirs and grabs mine. “Mais vous !” he says, “vous, Madame, vous êtes beaucoup plus posée”.
“That’s me!” I answer, “posée!” not being entirely sure what posée really means, though pretty sure it doesn’t mean passionate or creative …
(Who is this guy, anyway? Does he belong to the restaurant, or what?)
“What do you do?” he asks, dropping my hand dismissively.
“Je suis vigneronne” I say. (And make no doubt about it, mate.)
“Quoi, vous?” he exclaims incredulously. “Non, ce n’est pas vrai!” and grabs my hand again for a second look. “Non, pas vrai, pas possible!“
Who is that guy? I ask Clément, the sommelier, as he is hauled off by an elderly gentleman.
“Oh, just a regular customer”, he says. “A lawyer”.
Friday 14 December
Wow! Talk about Jingle Bulles! This really puts the merry into our Christmas! In today’s Weekend FT, none other than our very own Blanquette de Limoux among the wonderful Jancis Robinson’s Top Festive Sparkling Wines! We are over the moon, also because this is the third time she has chosen our fizz for this illustrious list, and celebrate by … opening a bottle of Blanquette!
(The article is here)
…/to be continued