Another visit from fellow winemakers

 

Tom and Mary Starr from Tipperary stopped by this afternoon to pick up some spare Albarino vines. They came bearing gifts: a bottle of wine, a bottle of apple juice, and a jar of honey. We knew instantly we had a lot in common. As it turned out, we have even more in common than we surmised. 

Their Starr of Ormond label was beautifully produced for their Gamay wine. We are to provide feedback, but kindly. Can't wait to try it. As they live in Neenagh where our nephew's wedding is to take place in July, we'll have a chance to visit them. How fun. They brough very nice weather with them, too.  

Happy St Brigid's Day - the first day of Spring in Ireland!

 

As we have been feverishly working in the garden for the past few days without coats on and having lunch outside on the porch, I decided to ask AI if the first frost-free date is changing in Ireland. 

Here is ChatGPT's response. 

Yes, the first frost-free date in Ireland is shifting, with frost days occurring less frequently than in the past, according to Met Éireann. Frost days have reduced by an average of 29.8% between the 1961-1990 and 1991-2020 periods. 

Here are the key details regarding changes in Ireland's frost trends:

Longer Frost-Free Periods: While variations occur year-to-year, the general trend indicates a reduction in frost days across all seasons.

Warm Winters: Research from 1950 to 2022 shows that Ireland is losing its coldest winter days.

Variable First Autumn Frost: Despite the overall warming trend, the first autumn frost can still appear early, with 2022 seeing its earliest first frost in 30 years (September 17). However, this is against a background of fewer frost days overall.

Regional Differences: The first autumn frost typically occurs in October for inland locations, but not until December or early January in coastal areas of the west and south, though this is changing as temperatures rise.

Historical Context: 2023 had 169 consecutive frost-free days. 

While the trend is toward fewer frosts, gardeners should still monitor annual conditions, as late spring frosts can still occur. 

And here's a nifty source of average frost-free dates around Ireland from plantmap. For Castlebar, it is April 11-20.

And now for the piéce de resistance, we cracked open a bottle of our 2025 Solaris vintage to accompany a dinner of lobster in a light creamy pasta sauce. It was a fabulous meal. I am pleased to report that the wine was superb, with complex notes that lingered on the palate. Beautiful colour, too. Alex is not a great fan of whites except Albarino, and he loved it. So did I. We made ourselves proud. 

Now if only the Rondo turns out well...

Alex finished pruning in the vineyard

Alex completed pruning the remaining vines this morning, as I could not reach many of the spurs above the wires, so it was on to the orchard. We still have to pull the grass from around the vines, but that can wait. Instead, we took on the orchard this afternoon. 

The wonderful mini chainsaw was the perfect tool to start. I have been studying the trees each time I walk past them and have already selected major branches for removal. Those were mainly branches that were growing into the trees instead of out. I wanted to improve the sun exposure and ventilation. I am going for a goblet shape. We are getting close now. 

We took out several large branches from the cooking apple tree. Then we removed anything crossing or growing straight up. We trimmed some of the length of the branches we could reach, and then moved on to the very large eating apple.  There, we removed one really big branch growing into the tree, and then removed a section of a branch that was very heavy on the outside of a major limb. 

Next were the pear trees. The little one got some height trimmed down. The big one, we cleared quite a few branches. We'll have to come back with the telescopic tree pruner to finish the job. 

Last, we tackled the Cox's Orange and the crabapple. Both needed a significant amount of pruning. The Cox's Orange had hundreds of little branches growing straight up inside the tree. We removed two large limbs, and Alex wanted to remove one more, but I decided to hold off and come back another day to study it. 

The crabapple got a major pruning of the interior limbs, which had grown into each other. Surprisingly, the sapwood and heartwood on the larger branches was pink, much like the flesh of the apples. We had not noticed that before. Probably because we had not cut such a large branch ever. Alex took care of the three young apple trees next, while I continued with the crabapple, which grew long greenwood last year. We'll come back and finish them up later. 

One apple we haven't tackled yet is the ancient one at the bottom of the lawn. It's quite big now, and we'll need to study it. 

It was a surprisingly beautiful afternoon. No rain, little wind, not too cold, and beautiful clouds. It was good to be out. 

Crabapple has pink sapwood and heartwood. 

Cooking apple taking shape. 

Pretty fluffy clouds all around

Some blue sky showing through

Vineyard looking good. 

Crack in the sky nearing sundown

Veil over Croagh Patrick and crack at sundown

St Vincent, Patron Saint of Winemakers

 

Celebrating Saint Vincent, Patron Saint of Winemakers, in ...Saint Vincent of Saragossa (c. 285-304 AD) is the patron saint of winemakers, a Spanish deacon martyred under Emperor Diocletian, revered for his faith and legendary association with wine, symbolized by blood-like wine from his torture on a wine press, his name's "vin" root, and folklore about fruitful vines after his donkey pruned them. Winemakers worldwide celebrate his feast day, January 22nd, with events like Burgundy's Saint-Vincent Tournante, focusing on good harvests and shared traditions. In Burgundy, winemakers celebrate his feast day by transporting a statue of Vincent from one winemaker to another. 

There is more about Vincent in Wikipedia. 

Aurora over the vineyard last night

 

We were treated to an exceptional spectacle last night. Under a starry sky, the aurora borealis appeared in the spectacular green and red colours of Mayo. We stood in the cold air for over 30 minutes in awe of the northern sky over the vineyard. Snapping pictures of the dancing lights. I forgot to take a video. It was our first sighting ever. We were afraid to walk up to the top of the hill because the path is very muddy and slick, chopped up by the donkeys. 

Nevertheless, it was a remarkable spectacle and they say we could see more. 

Wlidfires rage through Australian wine country

 

Wildfires ripped through Victoria Wine Country, where Australian wineries have been badly affected. It is reported that 25 wineries in the state have been directly impacted by the bushfires, with the damage ranging from destroyed vineyards and bottles to destroyed homes. One rancher died in the fire. 

More pruning

 

It was a beautiful, calm, mild and sunny day, so I spent most of it in the vineyard pruning. Some of the Solaris vines are so vigorous that they grew right across to the next vine. The entanglement and the size and strength of their tendrils was remarkable. When they touched another vine, their tendrils grabbed on like hands clasping hands. Amazing. We're going to really have to stay on top of it next year. 

Even more amazing is that some of the vines were already beginning to leaf. Bud break in January? It's not even St. Vincent's Day yet! Have to speed up the pruning even more. 

There were also many leftover remains of grape clusters, including one Pinot Noir with grapes still intact but hard. Quite a few clusters without grapes on the Chardonnay. We may have a new crop this year. 

We have removed a significant amount of material. We also edit each other's work. No matter how many times I look, I always find something we missed. We have quite a way to go before we finish. Then the orchard. At least we're seeing a bit of a stretch in the evenings.