Topic: Veraison in JULY???????????

[weedin project]

I have a row of 4 Regent grapevines in a sheltered spot behind greenhouses, and although the berries are really small they have already started to change colour.  I ate a totally black one on Saturday and it was bitterly acidic.

Is the 2007 vintage doomed, Captain Mainwaring?

 :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[pg]

How are your grapes?

It seems this happening all over the place, not just in England. Commercial winemakers in France and Italy are reporting crops are ready 3-4 weeks ahead of normal.

[weedin project]

PG, it's one thing a crop being ready, and it's quite another thing them just changing colour! 

My Pinot Noirs have now started to change colour too, but the Regent are still bitter (and twisted?) in spite of them having started veraison about 3-4 weeks ago.

I think they may suffer from lack of sugar conversion due to lack of sunshine hours and low average temperature, hence it could be a bad year for wine. :'(

On the bright side, Mrs Project told me that this summer was just like the ones she always remembers from when she was a girl - no sooner had she said it than we found out the last one we had like this was in the 1760's! 
She's not looking bad for her age........ ;D

[pg]

Hmmm, it seems the good old British summer has done it again. I wondered if in the couple of weeks since you first posted, your grapes would have been well on the way towards picking ripeness - as is being reported on the sunnier side of the Channel (French vineyards too are now reporting grapes ready 2 weeks ahead of normal).

Are you going to pick at the normal time to avoid any chance of mildew, or are you a betting person and are going to hold out for an Indian Summer?

[pg]

If your grape crop seems completely doomed this year, you could always try someone elses Pinot Noir...

Black Tower (yes remember them) have just launched a Dornfelder and Pinot Noir red. New into Tesco this week at 4.49. On tasting it ranks a 6/10 on the PG scale - I might buy that again, an okay wine but expensive for what it is. And that is a light red red wine that smells not unlike a good elderberry and tastes of lots of black berry fruits.

Black Tower also do a rose. I'll try that a little later...

[weedin project]

Hi PG
Mrs Project got me a refractometer for my birthday, so I'm going to hang on as long as I can and see if the sugar content gets to a decent level before either the birds scoff the lot or an ignoble rot takes hold.  I can't see any point taking them when the acidity is too high, so either they come good or I get nothing.  C'est la vie!

If the Indian Summer doesn't materialise, 3 for 2s at Threshers or clearance offers at Tescos might tempt me.