Grapes are crushed, the press is cleaned, and all that was finished before the end of August. Now we are waiting for the leaves to fall so we can start pruning. Is it really that calm and cool ? No, we’re not chilling ! Far from that, we enjoy this rare period when WE decide our own schedule, and it’s not dictated by nature, to do a lot of things.
In the winery, we topped up the tanks, monitored the fermentations; we meticulously cleaned and organized all the pipes, fittings, and taps.
In the cellar, we disgorged many bottles to be ready for the End of the Year season. We labelled export orders.
In the office, we implemented electronic invoicing, prepared the new price list, finalized the details of the new website before its launch, and paid property taxes and harvest suppliers, among other things. We also prepared for and successfully passed the monitoring audit for High Environmental Value and Sustainable Viticulture certifications.
In the vineyards, we monitored each vine to try to contain the spread of a worrying epidemic, “flavescence dorée”. We repaired damaged equipment, straightened bent stakes, and replaced broken ties. We did a last soil tilling and planted over 500 interplants to replace missing vines, crossing our fingers that it would finally rain so these plants could grow.
All this under a sky that is too often blue; with landscapes whose colors change every day, and with a few lingering bunches of grapes to nibble at.
This is what we do when it’s “calm”, when the rush is over and we have time to prepare for the new season. For us, a “season” begins on November 1st. In a few days, we’ll be making the first snips with the pruning shears, to begin the 2026/2027 season.