By Vinos Ambiz, http://vinosambiz.blogspot.com/
The grass is just beginning to sprout
Here at Bibendum Times we are constantly looking after new and exciting wine blogs. Having just discovered Vinos Ambiz’s blog we had to share it with you. Fabio and Juan practise organic and sustainable viticulture and are documenting the daily practises of their vineyards in Carabaña & Ambite next to Madrid. This is what is happening there now:
It actually stopped raining for two days in a row, so I went to the vineyard to do a bit of pruning, but it was still very muddy underfoot. I did a few rows and then took some photos with my mobile:
The buds on the almond tree are just beginning to swell
The ladybirds are making more ladybirds (Spring has indeed sprung!)
Then on to the winery, to face the facts! I spent several hours just sweeping up rubble from the roof, and generally tidying up.
Rubble from the roof
Then I put about 150 bottles in water to soak off the labels in about a week’s time, hopefully in the company of new victim-helpers
Wine bottles submerged in water to soak off the labels
Then inside to check the equipment:
Oak barrels are damp and mouldy
While this is what happens in Spain now, in the Southern hemisphere the harvest is in full swing. for the full and live picture check our harvest diaries.
Tags: Bloggers, Madrid, Spain, Vinos Ambiz
Thank you for very interesting post.
Fascinating to see from first hand how difficult it is to grow grapes and produce wine.
How much of your free time do you dedicate to the vineyard?
Hope the rain stopped,
Gal
Hi Gal,
Well, I’ve found out over the last 6 years, that farmers really are at the mercy of the weather!!! For example, we’ve been trying to finish pruning for weeks now, but have been unable to do so due to this extraordinary rainy spell we’ve been having in Spain! At least there will be no water shortages this Summer!!!
Also, it’s not that difficult to grow grapes organically here near Madrid, because the climate is so hot and dry in Summer/Autumn. This means that there is not much risk of rain and therefore of mildew and other afflictions caused by humidity at harvest time. Up North (in Rioja and Galicia, and of course in France and Germany) it’s a big problem and takes a lot of skill in dealing with it. Even here in Madrid, you have to be careful though. A few years ago we lost about half our harvest due to over-confidence and under-estimating the risk of humidity (we didn’t use any sulphur at all in the vineyard that year!).
The climate has a huge influence on production both in terms of quantity and quality, we’ve found.
At the moment (this year) we only have about 1 ha (2.5 acres), so the two of us dedicate about 1 day/week to the vineyard and 1 day/week to the winery during the year. For the harvest (and to a lesser extent, for the pruning) we call on our customers to come and help, and we’ve always had a good response. Next year we hope to have a few acres more, so we’ll see!
Charlie Brown…
Excellent post, you could almost quote this…