Even though the organisation of the day called for a few changes to
comply with the current situation, we were still able to meet one
another over the traditional welcome coffee, to start learning about the
winery, the wine-maker, Marc, and the progress of the year so far.
The
main tasks for the day were leaf removal and green harvesting, jobs
that are more normally done in July, but the precocity of the vines has
decided otherwise this year. The 2020 winter was mild for the most
part, causing the vines to start growing earlier than usual, and that,
combined with the warm and sunny spring, has meant that the vines are at
least 3 weeks ahead of the stage that they would normally be at.
The first task was simple. It involved removing the leaves from in front of the grapes, so that they can get more sun. This also allows for a better airflow around the grapes to avoid rot setting in on the grapes.
The second task to green harvest was more technical and impressed our apprentice winemakers of the day! The sun and warmth had also meant that the vines had been very productive. In fact too much so! We therefore had to reduce the number of bunches, to avoid disease or rot setting in, and to improve the quality of the grapes left on the vines.
You have to be careful to only remove the grape bunches that are growing too high up the vine, or from where there are too many bunches growing on the same vine. A detailed but decisive job! But as usual, the mission was perfectly accomplished by our apprentice winemakers as you can see.
And what’s more, we finished just before the rain arrived! We headed to the barn for lunch, a hearty beef and carrot stew that had been slow-cooked by Mme Plouzeau and was sure to recharge our batteries for the afternoon.
We enjoyed some of Marc’s delicious wines over lunch, including some of the older vintages of the Clos de la Bonnelière, where the Gourmet Odyssey adopted vines are located.
The weather cleared in the afternoon, and so we went for a little walk to see the young sauvignon blanc vines that have been recently planted. Along the way, we discussed the organic and biodynamic methods used to nurture the vines. The walk finished with a quick tour of the fermentation hall and the chai used for bottling and storing the wine. These are both places that we will spend more time in during the Harvest and Vinification Experience Days.
We’re looking forward to returning in September for the harvest and to see whether the 2020 vintage turns out as good as it is promising to be at the moment!
