March 2026
I do not normally pick up my bloggers pen until after the hibernating period that is between November and February. 2026 is no different.
As I write this note at the end of March, just before Easter, the weather is glorious with temperatures touching 20 degrees. It comes with early morning frost which is always a worry. Yet, what a wet beginning to the year. It must have rained every day from the beginning of January for 6 solid weeks. Hard to get outside to work in these conditions.
In February we started stripping the vines of last year’s coat. Richard followed me down each row taking the cuttings off the wires and piling them up at the end of each row. These were then collected and put on a mighty pile for bonfire in the adjacent field.
For the first time in some years we did not use the Romanian team under Duro to tie down. They take just one day to complete the task whilst we took our time over 10 days. Thank you, Jayne Thorp and Polly Gibson for helping me. We enjoyed bending each new cane around the fruiting wire (for max contact with the heating wire). Very few snapped and if we did there was a public confession with some oaths under the breath. More care means more buds undamaged, equals more fruit. That is the plan at any rate..
Last year’s fabulous weather means we had good ‘bud initiation’ and the new canes we laid down look prosperous with an evenly spaced number of buds. When there is good sap flow we do a fair amount of trunk and crown pruning, carrying out what is called ‘controlled dieback’ in order to bring the vine back into good shape. Any non-central or dead limbs are cut back.
Not much to see in the photographs but lush grass around naked vines.
Until one looks closely that is. Above shows chardonnay buds on the point of bursting. Here we go again.
Other winter tasks included planting a willow hedge on the windy side of the vineyard. Not only will this provide a wind break it will offer us willow on tap to make our teas (willow contains plenty of salicylic acid to fight mildew).
Therefore, we are up to date in preparing the vines for another season and we await what Mother Nature hands us in April. No extreme early morning frosts please.
Annual confession. I managed to make two cuts in the heated wires: one with the back of the tractor and the other with my secateurs. No full circuit means no heat to protect the young buds. I flog myself gently with a branch of pussy willow as I cannot find any birch whisk to hand. Joe, our electrician, comes on site and repairs the cuts. He is philosophical.
Book writing in earnest started in January with a new opus entitled Wild Wine Weekends, The essential guide to organic and sustainable vineyards in England and Wales, along with the very best places to walk, stay and eat. I have been making forays to the west country as a start and met some interesting and gifted vineyard owners. More to follow.