Asides

Wednesday Vine Report #10 Languedoc Vinewatch June 5th. Mademoiselle Merlot looking lush.

Walking through the vineyards has been a real pleasure this week. It’s always a pleasure, but this week, the wind has warmed. I’ve been out walking without a long sleeve fleece or sweater. Carrying a bottle of water instead!

Mademoiselle Merlot is looking fantastic. Soon, we’ll have to leave the house earlier to complete our walk, before it grows too hot.

Merlot vine
at last the Languedoc sunshine is feeling warmer

The growers have clipped off the extraneous growth from the tops and bottoms of the vines. There has been some wind damage and I’ve noticed a yellowing of the leaves on some varieties. They tell me this is because of the prolonged wet weather. Perhaps this is also the reason we’ve got similar yellowing on some of our garden plants at home. Himself is investigating.

We’ve walked further and further in our quest to bring you more interesting sights . . . and sounds.

First, the sights.

vineyard track
where does this track lead?

A new adventure awaits in the trees. Another vista. Another photo opportunity? Cut through the gap in the trees, drop into a small valley, climb the other side and hey presto! You’re back in the south of France.

vineyard huts
shelters in the vineyards

We’ve seen growers out with their notepads, drawing up forecasts. Maybe the harvest is going to be late this year.

Further along one of our walks this week, we came across this:

Roses in the vines
sacrificial roses
garrigue heath land
wild flowers in the garrigue

Roses act as an early warning system for pests and diseases. We often see bushes like this planted at the ends of rows of vines. Here’s something else we often see. Hares are everywhere, especially as you climb toward the garrigue – the heathland above the vineyards. It’s virgin land in the garrigue and, after this cool spring, it’s full of colour from great swathes of wild flowers.

hare in the vines
the one that got away . . .

Drop into the hidden valleys where the tree canopy forms a roof above your head and the atmosphere changes. It’s warm and still, but over head there’s birdsong you wouldn’t hear closer to the village.

Here’s a link to the sounds of the vineyards. Red kites are circling overhead, but these little songsters are well-hidden and singing their hearts out. Lovely!

Climb higher and there are more surprises. In a clearing, look who we found.

Camargue mare and foal
white Camargue horses

Camargue foals are dark. They don’t develop their famous colour until they’re four or five years old. This beautiful mare came to say hello and her baby followed.

Camargue mare
mother . . .

What a wonderful place to grow up! Maybe one day this little chap will be the star attraction at one of the many riding schools we have hereabouts.

Camargue foal
and baby

We have three equestrian centres close to our village. Even in the heat of the summer, there’s plenty of business for them.

It remains to be seen whether we shall have a late vendange this year.

I mentioned wild flowers. Just look at these.

grasshopper
if he’d jumped . . .aarrrrgh!

Flowers and insects everywhere. I haven’t photographed the vetches and campions of my childhood days when I kept a wild flower book during my primary schooldays. There are huge drifts of flowers here that I don’t recognise. Great swathes of pink, purple and blue, almost as far as you can see.                                                                 Black honey bees are gigantic. We call them Wellington Bombers. They look so heavy I don’t know how they can get airborne. They can be quite aggressive too – best not get agitated – let them go about their business.                                            After our long walk, it’s back home for a hearty breakfast.

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black bee
DSCN0526See you next week for the next Vinewatch report.

Wednesday Vine Report May 29th 2013

Himself and I have been walking further through the vines. HImself has been cycling of late as previously reported and has discovered new tracks to explore. Well, motion is lotion, as they say so we have been striding out, camera at the ready to report what we find.

We found Monsieur Joseph. Here he is in his vineyards at the lower part of the village, cutting back the excess growth on his vines. He doesn’t know it, but I borrowed his name for a character in one of my stories. However, Monsieur Joseph is quite a character himself.

winegrower
Joseph cutting back the vines

In his eighties now, Joseph came from Spain with his wife to start a new life. His daughter moved to England and now teaches in a Manchester school. We are delighted to know the whole family. Every summer we meet for drinks and food and for the local fiestas. Joseph likes to enjoy himself and still dances  a mean foxtrot.

The weather remains very changeable. Here’s why.

snow in May
somebody left the fridge door open!

There is STILL snow on the peaks of the Pyrenees. The shifts in temeperature are unusual this year. We’ve had cold night blasts at 5 degrees rising to 26 degrees in the afternoon. Now we learn there’s heavy rain forecast. These are the spring storms we expect in April, not now it’s nearly June.

vine spraying machines
preparing for the next vine spraying session

When the wind drops, the growers are out with their spraying equipment again. This morning there was gridlock at the water pump where a queue waited to top up the tanks.

vine spraying
sprayingI

It was cold enough for top coats at 8am.

We’re all wondering when the real summer is going to arrive.

But, the countryside views are stunning. I’ve never seen it look so green. There’s actually grass growing in the verges. Green grass.

wine domain
one of the local wine domains

There are twenty growers in our village who send their crops to the wine cooperative – the Vigneron near the centre. They grow a variety of grapes and our Fleurs de Montblanc wines are loved by all who taste them. As well as the coopertive growers, there are four separate domains who produce and bottle their own labels. In the photograph above, Domain Prunelle benefits from its sheltered slopes.

new vines
new vines among the old

And so, what about our Mademoiselle Merlot? How is she doing? See for yourself:

Merlot vine
Mademoiselle Merlot

She’s in a spot that’s fairly sheltered from the worst of the winds here. So, I’d say she’s looking pretty damned good. Look at the close up where the baby grapes are forming.

new grapes
Merlot baby grapes

Walking through this beautiful wine-growing country is a real pleasure. And the best pleasure is yet to come: chilled Cinsault in a dewy glass with some savoury nibblies. Or, gently warmed by next winter’s log fire, our Merlot – a Languedoc ruby – precious as blood.

red wine
Cheers!

Wednesday Vine Report #8

Vine watching has made me notice things more. By paying particular attention to what’s happening in the vines, it’s as if my eyes have been opened to much more besides. I’m seeing flowers and wildlife I never noticed before. The mountains around us change with the light. Sometimes they completely disappear into a blue haze. At other times, when they are backlit, they seem close enough to touch. The rest of me is becoming more attuned to my surroundings, too. I can feel shifts in the weather; sense changes in pressure. I can tell with my eyes closed when there’s a storm on the way. And, hey, I must be benefitting from all that extra walking I’m doing up hill and down dale.

The weather is peculiar this year. Although we’ve had days warm enough to wear flip flops and a few evenings warm enough to eat outdoors and do a spot of GaryWatching, spring has stayed generally much cooler than usual. Also, we’ve had more rain. As a result, weeds and grasses are growing to monster proportions. There’s more work in the vineyards.

vineyard weeding
clearing between the vines

Weeds love the weather we’ve been having: cooler, damper. They’re not welcome. They have to go. Out come the tractors again, towing their little rotavators. In the picture above, note the air-condtioning unit on top of the cab. When this grower’s grandfather tended the vines, he wouldn’t have had such a luxury on his horse and cart!

cultivator
getting ready for the next row

Drivers have to swing out into the lanes to make their turn for the next row. Where there is no lane to use, the turn is too sharp and the pattern of work shifts to tilling alternate rows. In places where it’s narrower still, they work every third row, backwards and forwards through the vineyard till it’s all done.

Then you get a clear picture of those familiar stripes running through the land.

vineyard rows
working in the vines

Our Mademoiselle Merlot is now quite a lady. Here she is in close up, showing healthy babies on the way.

Merlot grapes
sunshine in the Merlot vineyard

High winds this last week have caused some damage to the vines on the outer rows where the stalks have been snapped clean away from the branch. But our baby is looking fine and has come through the gales in good condition.

Rainstorms always come to this part of France in early spring at the transition between cool weather and the powerful heat of summer, but this year it’s happened later.

There is STILL snow on top of Canigou and until it’s gone we can expect more cool winds. However, the vineyards look good to me.

Merlot vineyard
Merlot vineyard looking toward the coast.

The hill in the far distance is Mont St. Loup which overlooks Cap d’Agde, a popular holiday resort with French families. Every water sport you can think of is there. In July and August Cap d’Agde is as packed with people as our vineyards are full of grapes. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the picture.

As for the Chardonnay vineyard which, you remember is across the lane. Here’s this morning’s photo.

Chardonnay vines
Chardonnay reaching for the sky
Chardonnay vines
Chardonnay vines a few weeks ago

I was standing in my usual spot to take this picture. It’s only a matter of weeks since I said that in a short time you wouldn’t be able to see through the foliage to the earth between the rows. The contrast is remarkable.

I’ll keep watching to see what the growers do about all that whippy growth. My feeling is most of it will be cut back.

vineyards
another view of rolling vineyards

More vines further along this morning’s vineyard walk. There are so many lanes criss-crossing through the vineyards, you can take a different walk every day and catch different views of the countryside. Sometimes, something unexpected happens, like the day I saw the perfect circle drawn in the sky by a fighter jet.

This morning’s surprise was a solitary figure hand-hoeing between the vines. My camera is always ready so I asked him for permission to take his picture. When he learned I was going to put him on the internet, he was happy to oblige.

beans and grapes
pulling up beans

Between each vine, this wine grower is using the space to grow broad beans. I hadn’t seen this before. Whether there is mutual benefit to beans and grapes I couldn’t say. My French isn’t good enough to understand everything he was saying and his French sounded Spanish. Many of the growers in our departement of Herault came from Spain to find work and settled here. They speak French, but with Spanish intonation. It’s lovely, but difficult for me to follow.

He insisted we took some beans. They’ll be fantastic lightly steamed and with a knob of butter on top.

broad beans
they don’t come much fresher than this . . .

I hope you’re enjoying this weekly catch up with what’s happening in the vineyards near my home. I’m certainly enjoying putting it together. I’d like to say thank you for visiting my website. Do please leave a comment if you wish and don’t forget to sign up for news of new posts.

Cheers!

Celia

P.S. Due to computer problems, I’m posting this week’s report early, while my machine is up and running. It keeps turning itself off. The poor old girl is due for retirement.

Wednesday Vine Report #7 15th May 2013

It’s just six weeks since I began the Wednesday Vine report. The vineyards look completely different from that first day. In pictures from Vine Report number one, we were looking for the first signs of sprouting buds. Today, you can hardly see the earth between rows of lush, green growth.

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Merlot vines day one
early April

I’ve seen the winegrowers out in the vines spraying again. We’ve had overnight rains, too, and everything is growing like the clappers, including, of course, all the weeds. I’ve never seen thistles so high or so many poppies popping up everywhere.

Poppies in the vines
poppies in the vineyards

The wind is sometimes still quite cool. There’s still snow atop the Pyrenees so if the wind’s coming from that direction, it’s like having nature’s air-conditioning system on. Or standing by the chiller cabinets in the supermarket.

France weather map
meteo France weather map

We’re all keeping an eye on the weather. It’s been an unusual spring so far. Very changeable. Temperatures playing yo-yo. The forecast from Thursday is not so good.

We don’t want those storms wandering our way. Heavy rain or the possibility of hail would not be welcome here. The baby grapes are setting on their stalks. Hail and heavy rain now would damage them. This year, everything seems to be at least three weeks behind its usual pace of development and that late snow on Canigou might have delighted skiers, but is causing headaches down here.

baby grapes
tender young growth

These babies really have all the water they need. The water table is high. Drainage ditches are still running with water that leaks from the land and is channeled down the hills toward the run-offs.

What’s required now is a bit less wind and warm, warm sun, building up to hot, hot sun for juicy fat fruit.

Merlot Day One
Merlot Day One

Mademoiselle Merlot is romping along the support wires. She’s got a lot of frilly, fresh green on her skirts and is looking really quite playful. Doing a line dance!

Here she is below, taking centre stage in this photograph, almost unrecognisable from the picture on the left on Day One. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it, that an old gnarled, knobbly bit of a stick like that can turn into a vibrant plant with such abundant, verdant growth?

Merlot vine
Mademoiselle Merlot – centre frame May 15th 2013

But that’s not the best bit, is it? The fruits that come along later go into the finest wine, able to grace the most discerning table.

Chardonnay vines
Chardonnay vines

Across the lane in the Chardonnay vineyard, the vines are still leading the race as you’d expect. They look as though they are enjoying the cooler conditions this spring. Their side of the hill is turning completely green.

Languedoc vneyards
. . . as far as the eye can see

I can’t imagine I would ever tire of looking at this place where I’m lucky to live. I love it in all its seasons. We don’t have an extravagant lifestyle, but this beautiful country offers riches beyond what money can buy.

The lanes through the vineyards cross vistas so stunning they take your breath away.

Pyracantha
hedges full of blossom

Pyracantha hedges are full of blossom now and loud with the humming of bees. The sky is such a perfect blue it looks unreal. Look closer into the blossom where the buzzing noise is coming from.

busy bee
where would we be without her?

These Pyracantha hedges are great for wildlife. In spring they’re full of bees and in autumn they’re full of birds eating the orange berries. What a fabulous system. We should do all we can to support the natural way of doing things.

That’s it for this week. I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures of our walk through the vines.

Languedoc vines
looking toward the water tower

You can see the Montagnes Noir in the background.

wild flowers
California poppies growing wild
blue butterfly
Cupido Minimus Minimus – small blue butterfly

I found these California poppies growing wild in a patch of scrubland. Their bright orange contrasts well with the surrounding green. I think I might crop this image and use it for one of my random headers.

There are so many butterflies as you walk through the heath, it seems the air is filled with them as if you’d just walked into a Disney cartoon. Ah well, it’s appropriate. Sometimes I do feel like Mary Poppins – there’s so much magic going on all around.

And here’s where it culminates – one of these every day and you could be like the French, who despite their love of pastries and dairy have the lowest incidence of heart problems in all Europe.

glassmerlot
good health to you. Cheers!

Wednesday Vine Report #6

I don’t want to miss out anything important from my Vine Reports. Sometimes, there are things happening in the vines that I’d miss if I waited for Wednesday. That’s why on Sunday morning when I heard engines and activity at first light I was up out of bed and rushing out the door camera in hand. This is what was going on:

water pump by the cemetery wall
old-fashioned water pump at the top of the hill

Wine growers spray the crops with a copper sulphate mixture to prevent powdery mildew, a fungus that can affect grapes and decimate harvests. At the brow of the hill, there’s an old-fashioned water pump. Due to our location close to mountains and river gorges, our aquifers can be quite high after heavy spring rain. Water races toward the villages in the foothills. Drainage ditches fill with fresh water, rich in minerals.

The wine growers add water to their tanks of copper sulphate to make the right mixture. It’s like what we common or garden growers would call Bordeaux mixture. Professor of botany Pierre Millardet of the university of Bordeaux discovered in the late 1800s that a mixture of copper sulphate and lime had fungicidal properties.

Chardonnay treatment
early on a wind-free Sunday morning
spraying the grapes
turning for the next row

 

grape spraying
cute little tractor

 

 

 

 

I like these cute little tractors. They remind me of some of the picture books I used to read with my children. Working machines all had sweet little faces and going out to work physically hard looked such jolly good fun children wanted to do it when they grew up.

 

tommytractor
a favourite book

 

 

 

I can still remember some of the words of favourite Ladybird books. Weren’t they wonderful illustrations too? Oh, shouldn’t all children have those to look at when they’re little? And aren’t the originals just the best, or am I just feeling my age?

Who could ever forget . . .Little Tommy, Ginger’s neighbour called for Ginger every day. Took him out in wind and sunshine, out across the fields to play . . .

Ginger's adventures
a favourite Ladybird book

I’d better stop. I’m filling up!

Back to the vineyards. The tractors might be cutesy looking things but they work hard, out in the wind and sunshine, out across the fields to . . . work the vines, clear the rows, protect the grapes from powdery mildew.

Here’s how the Merlot vineyard looked on Sunday morning. I was waiting for this morning for the up to date close-up.

Merlot vines
Mesdames Merlot 7am Sunday 5th May

The sun was in exactly the wrong place for this early morning photograph of our vineyard of Merlot grapes. Our Mademoiselle is in there, front row, doing very nicely.

Spraying takes place every 6 to 10 days, depending on the temperature and humidity etc., but according to one wine grower, you can cease spraying once the grapes are set. I suppose they all have their preferred methods based on what their fathers and grandfathers did before. They probably still argue over which method is best.

Wine growers are always first to gather at the Bar in the village centre. You can see them having their early morning coffee and pastis before they return to work. Their faces are lined by the sun; their hands gnarled by the wind. They look like their own vines.

Merlot vine
Wednesday 8th May

So here she is, our Mademoiselle Merlot. She’s looking perky this morning, wouldn’t you say? The sun is already casting shadows and I’m out here in the vineyards by myself. Soon there’ll be dog walkers and a few serious runners. As summer progresses, they’ll be out earlier before it gets too hot.

And now, Mr de Mille, I’m ready for my close-up.

Merlot flower spikes
I’m ready for my close-up!

Aww! Baby grapes! Oh-la-la, Mademoiselle. You are soooo beautiful. Hold it right there. Don’t flutter a leaf. Let me drink you in.

Not yet, Celia. Don’t get carried away. This is the Vine Report not a cheesy chapter in second rate erotica. Pull yourself together. What’s happening in the Chardonnay vineyard?

Chardonnay vines
Chardonnay week six
Merlot vines
looking toward the coast

A fine sight. I can almost hear corks popping.

Waiting for Gary. Who is he?

My sister called him Gary. We go in for a bit of alliteration where we’re from. He could be a Georgina for all we know, but Gary presented as a good Cinsault-fuelled suggestion one evening last summer and the name stuck as fast as Gary’s suckered feet. (Clue #1)

geckofeet
what Gary’s foot looks like magnified

The way Gary and his ilk are able to hang on to vertical surfaces, not to mention feel comfortable hanging on completely upside down has interested scientists for years. Only recently have they invented a new glue that mimics the properties of our Gary’s feet. Apparently this new glue is so strong you’ll be able to stick a 42 inch screen television straight onto your living room wall.

Last year, Gary became part of our late night entertainment. We’d watch, in awe, as he lassoed his supper. We’d wonder how in hell he could move that fast and jump out from a perpendicular position without falling off the wall. (Clue #2)

If you followed the previous link, you’ll know who Gary is now if you hadn’t worked it out already. You didn’t really need those clues, did you? He’s the type of his species that like hanging around (Ha, Ha) people and houses. Gary made his summer home behind one of our French window shutters. We don’t know where he goes in winter. We had a very strong feeling he would survive those snows we had in January. He’d got big. Very big. He must be reaching his full size. Maybe this summer could be his last.

So, there I was after dinner last night wondering when he’d show up again this year.

The night was warm. Ten pm and still 25 degrees. The signs were good. I saw bats zipping about beyond our garden gate; a Scops owl was hooping in the distance. I call them submarine birds: their call reminds me of WW2 movies set in a sub with that tooting noise going on in the background. Here, have a listen. You’ll see what I mean.

It was time. I got out the special equipment.

coffee and brandy
special equipment for waiting for Gary

I put it in the waiting for Gary area, directly below his favourite roof space where the outdoor lights attract fat moths for his main course and a selection of juicy six-legged appetizers for hors d’oeuvres.

My camera was charged and ready.

I sipped at my special equipment. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement. I looked up at the lights. What was that dark shape?

moth-catching light
Gary’s fave hunting spot

There was movement  all right. From both ends of the terrace. Two small ones, but when I moved they disappeared behind the roof beams. I waited. Gary is not going to like bandits on his patch, I thought. I ran out of special equipment. Took the offered refill from himself who was watching television.

Gary’s not coming, said himself. Not tonight. Why don’t you come indoors and watch the news?

I went indoors to watch the news. I sat. Himself was staring out the window at the light on the wall opposite the one in the photograph.

WTF? Is THAT Gary? Can’t be. It’s GODZILLA!

Too late. My camera isn’t out of its case before he’s disappeared. Probably sorting out the two invaders. Next time I’ll wait longer and double up on the special equipment.

 

 

Wednesday Vine Report #5

Vine report number five already. I can’t believe 5 weeks have passed since I began wondering what kind of grape our chosen vine was.

We know now: she’s a Merlot, and our baby is doing just fine. After rain through the week, our vine is showing vigorous growth.

Merlot vine
our Merlot shifting up a gear

There’s growth all along the leader in this midweek photograph. Here’s this morning’s picture.

Merlot in May
after a few days’ rain

Her sisters are doing nicely, too. Soon there’ll be more green than the brown of the earth.

Merlot vineyard
Merlot vineyard showing steady growth

Once these beauties get going, you can almost hear them growing. (I’m a writer, prone to fanciful thinking)

We’ve had a substantial amount of rain this week. The air cooled. There was fresh snow on the Pyrenees at the weekend, I’m told. Friends of friends couldn’t drive where they were supposed to be; they had no snow chains with them. When the wind blows from the southwest, over the peaks of the mountains, it cools everything down on our side. I had to rummage in my clothes storage boxes and drag out a couple of fleeces. We don’t expect cold winds at this time of year. But the walk through the vineyards is as lovely as ever and, even if you can’t actually hear the vines growing, you can smell the fresh green of them.

Across the lane, in the Chardonnay plantation, here’s the latest:

Chardonnay
Chardonnay grapevines growing fast

Don’t they look fantastic? Oh, I’m imagining paella cooked on our outside gas burner in one of those huge circular shallow pans; the sounds of bubbling juices; the smell of mussels and saffron and prawns, maybe a few scallops and some chicken on the bone for extra juiciness AND dewy glasses of chilled Chardonnay, crisp and dry and definitely more-ish. Summer heaven.

I walked a different way back to the house. There are so many lanes criss-crossing the vineyard plantations, you can vary your route every day. You get to see a different view each time you turn a corner. I took this picture of poppies planning to use it as a header. All the pictures at the head of my pages are from my own photographs.

April poppies
April poppies along the vineyard lanes

Last week, I spotted drifts of blue flowers on furry, mauve stalks and couldn’t put a name to them.

Borage flowers
Borage flowers and stalks taste like cucumber

 

 

 

 

 

It’s borage and you can eat it. The flowers and stalks taste like cucumber and the darker leaves can be cooked and used like spinach. You can find out more about edible wild flowers here at the Edible Wild Food website.

Himself was with me this morning. Fancies himself as a bit of a David Bailey from time to time. He took these:

poppies on May 1st
May poppies – a photo by himself

I think the boy done good.

Along the lanes, there’s always something new to see. Almond trees are showing off their new fruits in their furry cases. They are very bitter, though. I don’t know anybody who actually uses them.

almonds in their cases
almonds in their furry cases

The vineyards roll across this Herault hinterland. From above it looks like patchwork with all the rows going in different directions like stripes. Some vineyards have sea views.

picpoul de pinet
Picpoul de Pinet vines love sea breezes

At Pinet, not far from our own village, the vineyards run down to the Mediterranean coast.In this picture, you can make out the oyster beds in the bay. Oysters and white wine: is your mouth watering yet? Wait, there’s more.

Noilly Prat vermouth
a great aperitif

The white wine of Pinet is one of only three varieties used by the manufacturers of Noilly Prat, a world famous vermouth produced at Marseillan also nearby. Marseillan is now the only place producing this fabulous vermouth. No, it’s better than fabulous. It’s the best vermouth you’ll ever taste. There’s a great story behind the making of this famous aperitif, but there’s enough for a whole new post. In the meantime, take a look at their website. It has a cute entry page, but they won’t give away any production secrets.

Back to our own village vineyards. Because of the lie of the land, the vineyard lanes are sometimes below the level of the growing fields. Great camera angles.

elderly vines
old vines still producing

Elsewhere there are new plantations. The baby vines are protected from the ravages of winter winds.

young vines
young vines are protected

Young vines are not allowed to produce fruit for the first year or two. The vine’s job is to get itself established with a strong root system and build up nutrients for grape producing when it’s a grown-up. The wine grower keeps the vineyard free from weeds and pests during this time to give the young vines the best start.

Soon, these young vines will take their place in producing grapes that go into wine known and respected all over the world. Did you know that Languedoc is the biggest wine producing region in the world? Ah, what a place to live, huh? The pleasures of watching it grow, followed by the pleasures of drinking it.

Languedoc vines
vines of Languedoc

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I’d love to hear from you. I’m not an expert on wine, but you don’t have to be an expert to know what you enjoy. That’s my philosophy.

Cheers!

See you soon.

Wednesday Vine Report #4

sky circle
smart arse pilot made this perfect circle

On the day of vine report number 4, there was one hell of a bang. I’m just getting organized to walk up to visit our chosen vine for the next new photograph, when the almighty bang nearly knocked me off my feet. The house shook. Shutters rattled. My ears popped. Then I heard the distant scream of an aircraft engine. He was high. Very high. He’d come tearing in from the north, broken the sound barrier thingy and now he was playing games. I watched him draw this perfect circle in the sky above us. And I already had my camera to hand.

That was not Ryanair. That was no commercial flight. I don’t know what the pilot was practising for, but he/she had an admirer down here. I bet the boss knew nothing about it. Or, maybe he/she was the boss.

merlot vine
our Merlot has two leaves open!

Mademoiselle Merlot is enjoying the warmth. Here she is today. Two leaves open near the bole and the buds on the leader ready to pop. You’ll notice the ground looks different from previous photos where the land between the rows was filled with weed growth.

Here’s why:

 

tractor in the vines
special narrow tractors work the rows

The tractors are especially narrow so they can fit between the vines. They work the rows alternately to make for an easier turning circle at the end of each row. In some vineyards, the weeds are left to grow to maturity. This will depend on the type of grape and the balance of minerals in the soil. They actually want the weeds to take up some of the goodness from the soil if it’s too rich for the type of vine. You’ll see this particularly on vineyards specializing in organic wines where they use no chemicals at all.

tractor in the vines
preparing to turn at the end of a row
tractor in the vines
working on through the vineyard

 

 

 

 

 

Growth is just beginning steadily in our chosen field of Merlot. You remember that the field of Chardonnay just across the lane was romping on in the April sunshine. Take a look at it now.

Chardonnay in April
vigorous growth on the Chardonnay
grape flower spikes
these flower spikes will develop into bunches of grapes

The flower spikes (a bit blurred – I got too close) are clearly visible. These will develop into bunches of tiny grapes very soon.

Then they’ll soak up the sun and the odd shower till they’re fat and juicy. And himself and I will be filling the ice trays. Oh, yes!

The walk back along the vineyard lanes is a pleasure. The edges (you can’t really call them hedgerows) are full of spring colour.

 

vineyard lane
poppies already in the vineyard lane
wild garlic
white flowers of wild garlic

Wild garlic looks like it’s hiding in the grass. The leaves are good for cooking rather than the bulbs, but I won’t be disturbing them. I like looking at them just as they are.

Great drifts of blue flowers hang from mauve stalks.

wild flowers
huge drifts of blue flowers on mauve stalks

There are lots of other wild flowers I haven’t identified yet, but that’s okay. It’s another pleasant job for me to do.

Mine’s a Merlot! Wednesday Vine Report#3

Well, of course she would have to be a Merlot, wouldn’t she? My all-time favourite red. Sensational perfume. Smooth, satisfying taste. Hits all the right notes. A symphony in a glass. Great legs. She’s a late developer. Bless.

Merlot vine
mine’s a Merlot!

Here’s what she looks like today.

Look above and slightly left of the central bole and there you’ll find the first leaf ready to unfurl. April 17th. You heard it here first. You could be looking at the next gold medallion winner.

Our wines from this region often rate very highly at the French nationals. And it’s not just the reds. The Viognier from Domaine La Baume just down the road from here came in at 13.5% and took gold last year. That was one belter of a white wine. Well, it would be at that strength, n’est-ce pas? Click on the link and take a look at their website (in English). Learn why they harvest at night. Watch the video for a brief introduction to their domaine. We always take all our visitors there for wine-tasting before you buy. Nobody has ever been disappointed.

The history of the Viognier grape is interesting. It was almost extinct in the 1960s. It’s prone to powdery mildew and might not produce high yields. Picking at exactly the right time is essential to achieve the best perfumes and strength. Here in Languedoc, Viognier tastes different from that produced further north. The vines like our heat retaining soil and dry summer. Here’s the current state of play with the whites in the next field to our Merlot.

Chardonnay vines
Chardonnay romping in April sunshine

Look more closely and you can see the tiny clusters of flowers developing.

grape flowers
tiny clusters of flowers

Grape flowers are so small you wonder how they can possibly develop into luscious fruits.

They are so inconspicuous you have to really look hard to find them.

But there they are, hiding underneath the leaves, quietly getting on with the business of growing beauties like these.

 

Viogniergrapes
Viognier grapes on the vine

Mmmm. I can taste it already. Nicely chilled. Make-your-mouth-water-juicy-fruity.

That reminds me. It’s time himself dragged out the barbecue and gave it a good clean. In fact, the sun is warm enough for sun loungers. Better make that my task while himself is occupied. When he gets back from his bike ride. (Trying to shift some weight)

Himself
himself

 

Cycling through the lanes is a great way to see the countryside. From the top of the hill there’s a sea view. Just. And the Pyrenees with Pic du Canigou the highest peak visible from here.

village cemetery
main gates
victim of WW2
never forgotten . . .

After taking this morning’s photo of my Merlot, I wandered through the gates into the cemetery. Birds were singing. There was a comfortable calm about the place. It’s always well-tended. Villagers visit their family mausoleums regularly to leave fresh flowers and messages. Everything is clean swept. Some of the mausoleums are very grand.

village cemetery
well-tended burial places

 

 

Outside the cemetery, Languedoc is bursting into life.Under cobalt skies, the land explodes into spring colour.

wild flowers
wild flowers

 

 

Between the vineyards, some fields are left uncultivated.

uncultivated fields
spring fields

 

 

 

 

 

And, looking over village houses, cemetery and vineyards, our unusual water tower.

water tower
painted water tower

Famous with Ryanair pilots. They often point it out to passengers about to land in Beziers.

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Market singers

oranges and singers
singers at the French market

Our local French market offers good prices on staple foods. One euro per kilo of juicy oranges. Don’t mention the suck word, though. We’ll start thinking about sexy food again.

So, we turn up to buy our fresh greens and crusty bread as usual and there’s music on the air. What could be nicer on a sunny April morning? Standing outside the town hall there’s a man with an old-fashioned, hand operated barrel organ. His tunes are jolly, toe-tapping melodies. Locals are joining in. Somebody has handed out plastic folders with the words and everybody seems to know the songs. Here’s a snatch.

http://youtu.be/wNwz9ZGdy7s

wood pigeon
wood pigeon – was he listening or waiting for it to stop?

The bird on the wire was not mightily impressed. Maybe he’d been stood up. Maybe his lady love had wandered off to inspect what some other guy was offering. Or maybe he was just waiting for the music to stop so he could begin his calling again.

We listened to the singers for a while, then took our purchases home and had another coffee. We bought some small spring onions. Would you like to see?

Such a shame we couldn’t find any big ones.

French market spring onions
we couldn’t find any large ones?

As I said already – the joys of living in France!