Vineyard layout update

 

Alex has updated his diagram of the vineyard plantings, which he does every year. He noted what we planted and when, who we bought it from, and what rootstock it is on. So this is the current layout. 

Alex has bought a sprayer that can be towed behind the RTV. He should have sprayed today but had to go down to Aleria to rewire the mast so they can step it. He modified the sprayer so that it would spray above his head and up at the vines. Pretty clever. 

Just as a note, we've got another heat wave underway this week. The continent is roasting, and we are pleasantly mild and sunny. I hope this means our Pinot Noir will turn colour and get ripe. The combination of concurrent La Niña and El Niño could do the trick. But we also have an almost total eclipse of the sun this week. It's hard to keep up. One thing we don't have enough of is rain. 

I harvested 2.6k of the concord-style grapes from the polytunnel and am making some cordial and jelly. It's dripping through the muslin bag as we speak, and it is so dark red it stained my hands. The Concord grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca (also known as fox grape) and is used mainly for wine and grape juice production. I do not believe it would make a good wine. None of the other grapes in the polytunnel are ripe yet. 

This weather is accelerating veraison of the Rondo. The Solaris not so much, and the grapes are quite small. We really could use some rain. I keep hoping for the Pinot Noir to show signs of colour change, but so far no joy. Not even looking at the Chardonnay. Compared with other fruit this year, the grapes are doing great. We have no raspberries, one or two apples, 5 crabapples, no currants (red or black), and few strawberries. 

Rondo

Solaris

Pinot Noir

Pinot leaves turning colour

The sheep fence is up. 

Crabapples

Veraison!

 

We hadn't checked in a few days — we were too busy pruning. To our surprise, Rondo has started changing colour — veraison has begun. The berries are looking good overall, but the vine growth is ridiculously vigorous. Side shoots have secondary berry clusters which I am removing. They won't mature but are sapping strength from the primary crop. 

This week's rain has caused the berries to start plumping up. Even the Pinot Noir grapes are swelling, but no sign of colour change. 

Even Pinot Noir is filling out. 

Lots of debris from pruning

Donkeys eyeing the noise being made next door

Neighbour is putting in a new fence

Lots of sheep with potential access to vineyard

Thunderstorm warnings

 

Apparently, we had thunderstorms overnight, but Alex and I slept through them, or maybe they skipped us. Nevertheless, we've got a T-storm warning today but no evidence of rain so far. The earth is parched and the rain whatever falls is not soaking down. Soil moisture deficits generally currently range from around 40mm to 85mm, with the driest conditions across the south and east.

Over the coming week, with some rain in the forecast, values will drop a little, but not very significantly.

Low rainfall in July

 

We knew it was dry. But July ended up with only 75.2 mm of rain compared with a LTA of 111.6 mm and 130 mm last year. It was comparable to what we had in 2024 (80.8 mm). The temperature in July was also considerably warmer at 16.8C compared with 15.5 LTA. Mean soil temperature at 18.2 was also the warmest it has been in the last four years. I still cannot access the Met Éireann data from my laptop, so I'll just provide the link here. 

The end of July

 

Alex and I have been pruning the vines which are growing incredibly vigorously. We can't keep up. As soon as we are done with a row, we have to start again. Both the Rondo and Solaris are growing like wild this year, but it looks like the Rondo will have a higher yield. Even the baby plants have a couple of bunches each. Nothing turning red yet, contrary to the winegrowers group. 

What's particularly interesting is the Pinot Noir this year. It's got our first real harvest developing. Not much on the Chardonnay. I would love to have ripe Pinot Noir to show. 

It's August bank holiday weekend, and Westport is a zoo. We're going to head over to Newport tomorrow for BBQ at Newport House and to partake of the Granuiale Festival. Three days of music and street stuff -- one day will be enough. 

Pinot Noir grapes

More Pinot Noir

Rondo on the 11 yo vines

Solaris

More Pinot

Baby Rondo

Third day of rain. Up Mayo!

 

What a match on Sunday. After 75 years of drought, the team from Mayo brought Sam home. It was an exciting match against Kerry, who had won 39 times before; Mayo came from behind to win 1-20 to 1-17. The stadium went wild; people were shedding tears. Nobody left; even the Kerry crowd stayed until well into the night. After 75 years, Mayo are the 2026 All-Ireland Football Champions. 

With 20 million views, Gaelic football has gone viral, and it was not just the diaspora watching. Joe Biden and Mark Carney issued messages of congratulations, as did celebrities around the world, and not just those with connections to Mayo. Christiane Amanpour covered it on CNN. People came from all over Ireland to cheer the lads home to Castlebar, where they play at McHale Park. The celebrations took to the streets of Castlebar and Westport, and the kudos were documented at Breaffy House Hotel. 

Mayo captain Jack Coyne and the squad brought Sam Maguire to Ballyhaunis on Tuesday night.  🏆 The celebrations got underway on Main Street from 4pm, with live music by The Halez before and after the team’s arrival. 🚧 Road Closures all over. Ballina Stephenites & Belmullet GAA Club on Wednesday and Thursday; Ballaghaderreen GAA Club & Claremorris GAA Club. 

Sam will be touring the county for some time. Who cares about the rain?

So proud to call Mayo home. 

Rain and aerials

 

We had 11.3 mm of rain reported in Newport yesterday. It was a steady, gentle rain which soaked well into the ground. You could feel the relief amongst the garden dwellers, almost like a sigh off the land. It has continued to drizzle through this morning, and it appears the pattern for the next week will bring more rain to our lands. 

Google satellite imagery in Maps and Earth clearly shows the vineyard up the hill from the house. All the other structures are now visible as well. Amazing technology advances. 

Weather Station Reports from Newport Furnace

Date	Rainfall (mm)	Max Temp (°C)	Min Temp (°C)	Grass Min Temp (°C)	Mean Wind Speed (knots)	Max Gust (>= 34 knots)	Sunshine (hours)
25/07/2026	11.3	20.7	14.7	14.6	9.4