2011 Post Harvest

The grapes are in the tank - all 8.5 tonnes worth.  Most of the fermentation is now complete - only the malolactic fermentation to go in our 2011 red and white Albalonga.  Once all the tests are done, the red wine (made from Rondo, Regent, Dunkenfelder, Dornfelder and Ortega) and our white Albalonga, will probably go into French Oak barrels to mature.

In the mean time, the very mild weather has meant that the leaves on the vines are gradually turning the most spectacular colour:

This means that we cannot start with winter prunning yet - we are waiting for the leaves to fall and the sap within the vines to go back down into the permanent wood. A calm period for us, interspersed with frequent monitoring of the wine in tank.

The 2010 wine stocks are selling well, with interest from those planning for Christmas increasing.  We hope to close the shop by the end of November, but will open one weekend before Christmas for those last minute shoppers.

Written November 2011