January was pretty cold: a number of days and nights below 10 degrees, but not in succession, thankfully. Cold is good for the vines, but even they can have too much of a good thing. But no rain, which is what we really want. It seems that much of the traditionally dry parts of the […]
Tuesday November 1 Kids are winding up their trip to Canada today, promoting Rives-Blanques wines to the Quebecois. The Economist talked about “nice cuddly Canada” last week – but the Canadian customs officers were not. Perhaps they had been primed and knew that there was a big wine fest going on, or else they were […]
Sunday October 2 Oh you amazing, magnificent mauzac! How much longer can you make us dance to your tune? A couple of days? A week? Ten days? Just how much longer can you hold out? (How much longer can we hold out?) The grapes look beautiful, and they are basking in the sunshine, in no hurry to go […]
Thursday September 1 September blazes through the bedroom window, violently blue and full of sunshine. “Another beautiful day”, Jan remarks gloomily. Damn! Friday September 2 There’s no rain in sight, that’s the bad news. But the good news is very good indeed. The authoritative wine guide, granddaddy of them all, The Guide Hachette, has published its […]
Sunday August 7 A really rainy day today, but then, this is Ireland. And thank goodness for that too, otherwise we might have believed ourselves to be in paradise, taken there by a string of beautiful blue days knitted together by shining sun and sheening seas. No sailing today, so we do what you do in West Cork […]