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JULY 2010

It was quite a nerve biting start to the year ... on account of early spring frosts. We have never forgotten May 1997, when one night's temperature went down to minus 7 degrees celsius and we lost the complete crop. This year, in early May, the temperature went down to minus 3 degrees and quite a few buds were frost 'burnt' as a result. Some vineyards have therefore lost significant percentages of this year's crop, but somehow we don't seem to have suffered too badly. Our vines are trained higher off the ground than most and this does offer us some degree of frost protection .. in spite of the vineyard being sited in an obvious frost pocket.

We are in fact facing the prospect of another large crop this year, but it has to be nurtured carefully. July is a busy time for canopy management, when we are constantly walking through the vineyard untangling the canopy to allow the sunshine in .. which is essential for the development of the bunches. We will also have to spend time this year reducing the size of the crop in order to ensure adequate ripening ... too many bunches and the crop has trouble ripening properly. There is plenty to do!

THE BEST NEWS: Our 2009 Bacchus Dry has just been awarded a Silver Medal in the English and Welsh Wines of the Year Competition. This is excellent news and means that we are right up with the very best of English wines. We think this is the best still wine that we have made to date!

Michael and Lin