Spring has arrived on the bank holiday weekend celebrating St Bridget's Day this Monday. Imbolc, St Bridget's actual feast day, arrived on the 1st of February, of course. But the weather was better today. It provided the perfect opportunity to prune the vines.
We actually started yesterday and I did the little ones - Albarino and Pinot Noir - last week. Yesterday, I finished the Chardonnay vines, and today I did the younger Solaris. They were brutal. We had let them grow wild and they took on interesting shapes that needed to be coaxed into straight trunks, but I got through the lot and removed most everything that didn't belong, although there will be editing to do. In a few cases, I wasn't sure which of the stems to pick as the primary so I left two or three options which I will inspect more closely with fresh eyes.
In some cases, it was very easy to see which was the primary and in almost all cases, the primary was already quite strong, to the top of the post, and rather woody. This is the year when they reach adulthood and their permanent shape.
Alex worked on the 'old' vines now in their eighth year and he did a very nice job. It's really feeling like a mature vineyard in that section.
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| In the beginning, I was shy about cutting. |
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| Yes, it's the moon. New day coming. |
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| Alex's pruning |
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| May need a bit of editing |
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| The piles of cuttings are growing |
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| The sun is getting ready to set. Just a few more to do. |
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| Looking a bit tidier. |
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| Lovely sky |
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| Croagh Patrick is aglow |
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| Lovely calm day |
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| Stunning panorama |
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| New stray, Ginger, coming for a walk with me. |
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| Fiery sunset |
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| Peach on earth |
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| The hills are alive... |
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| Bye-bye sun |
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