The lack of posts since the snow days of pruning back in February are simply because I’ve essentially been living in the vineyard.
The cold weather seemed to last for ever early this year and as a result we had very late bud burst. A blessing and a curse as we missed the hard frosts that could have wiped out the young buds, but we were 3 weeks or so late out of the blocks which is difficult time to make up. Glorious weather over Easter pushed the wines on, but we had cool and damp conditions mostly, then it all cheered up for 10 days. 10 days that meant we had more or less perfect flowering and fruit set. It was still late though. Here we are on the last day of August, it’s 15 degrees, over cast and threatening to rain. Veraison is upon us but not widely so we could really do with a sunny September to get what is a tremendous crop of healthy looking grapes to ripeness.
Regent grapes undergoing veraison 
Pinot Gris 
Well tended neat rows of vines