JANUARY / fEBRUARY

Time to start the pruning…each vine is carefully looked at to choose canes for the coming season and spurs which will produce canes for the following season in a years’ time. This is also when we first sample the wine from the last year’s harvest.

MAY

Shoot growth will be rapid this month and the tiny potential fruit clusters become clearly visible. As well as the vines, weeds and the grass also grow quickly so weed trimming and grass mowing starts. The first spray in a programme of careful foliar feeding will go on before the end of the month.

sEPTEMBER

Probably the most exciting and anxious month!
We cross our fingers for an Indian summer which is ideal, and the cooler evenings can enhance the wine flavour. Regular checks are made on the ripening grapes for sugar levels and acidity.

MARCH

Pruning continues. Towards the end of March, the sap in the vines can start rising, which makes the canes less brittle and easier to tie down.

JUNE

At this time of year, shoot growth is rapid and to prevent damage to the shoots and potential grape clusters, these shoots have to be carefully tucked into the parallel trellis wires.

october

Mid to late October we start to harvest the earliest varieties. After the rush of harvest, the grass can still grow in our mild climate, and warm days can bring some spectacular colours on the vines

APRIL

Final pruning takes place once all of the canes are tied down and the threat of frost is behind us. We leave three canes at pruning and tie down two to produce a balanced crop. The third acts as a ‘spare’ and is in-case we break a cane or we get frost damage on one of the tied down ones. It also helps to absorb some of the vines energy as we don’t want too much vigorous growth. If all is well this ‘spare’ cane is now removed.

jULY

Growth this month is rapid and vigorous, so the shoots have to be carefully tucked in. This also helps fruit set during the critical flowering period when we hope for a spell of settled warm weather. If the weather turns colder and wet during flowering, the delicate flowers quickly rot and no fruit is formed: even worse, those bunches that have set can lose fruit, resulting in no fruit at all or part bunches only.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Pruning begins again!

aUGUST

Another growing month, but towards the end of the month as the evenings become cooler, shoot growth will slow and the vines energy should start to be directed to the swelling fruit - verasion should start. (Verasion is the onset of ripening. When the grape berries start to change colour.)