Yellow Ice Warning

 

Happy Valentine's Day. We woke up this morning to a red sky and frost on the shore. The arctic air had arrived. It's been relatively mild until this morning, and now we have a yellow ice warning and a gale blowing in this afternoon. (Yellow ice warning used to mean something different in the States.) We have been steadily pruning the orchard and beyond, and Alex brought up more seaweed for the vineyard on the last super high tide. 

Alex has also made great progress on his new 'shite pit' where the donkey poo will spend the summer decomposing. Equine manure is valuable stuff. Not sure if we should use it in the vineyard. I wonder if it alters the terroir. Possibly, as we feed them carrots and parsnips along with local straw and hay, and the grass they nibble on the land as it grows. Wouldn't want to introduce parsnip-flavoured grapes. 

I realised that it is mid-February, and I neglected to report the conditions for January. So here it is. Compared with the East Coast, we got off with average conditions. Rainfall was commensurate with the LTA, the temperature was a bit cooler than the LTA and recent years. We had more degree days below 15.5 °C than the LTA or recent years, but it didnt really feel cold. So there it is. We were fairly neutral. 

Monthly values for NEWPORT up to 13-feb-2026

Total rainfall in millimetres for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	162.7	57.2											219.9
2025	105.0	112.4	59.3	102.8	88.2	153.8	130.0	148.2	214.9	186.4	207.8	164.2	1673.0
2024	125.7	197.5	152.5	119.4	48.8	80.7	80.8	257.5	44.1	150.7	143.3	173.7	1574.7
2023	183.2	91.6	188.4	121.1	48.5	77.9	206.8	139.8	142.4	144.7	209.6	293.8	1847.8
LTA	166.4	146.6	129.0	98.0	99.2	93.5	111.6	133.0	131.8	153.9	180.9	190.7	1634.6

Mean temperature in degrees Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	5.7	6.8											6.0
2025	6.0	7.1	8.9	11.6	14.0	14.9	16.5	16.7	13.3	11.7	8.8	7.6	11.5
2024	6.1	7.9	7.9	9.9	13.1	12.9	14.9	14.9	13.6	11.8	9.2	8.2	10.9
2023	6.6	8.0	7.6	9.9	13.3	17.4	14.9	15.8	15.2	11.9	8.7	7.9	11.4
LTA	6.3	6.4	7.5	9.5	12.0	14.2	15.5	15.5	13.8	11.1	8.5	6.7	10.6

Mean 10cm soil temperature for NEWPORT at 0900 UTC

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	4.8	n/a											4.8
2025	5.1	6.0	8.1	10.9	15.4	16.3	17.8	17.5	13.9	12.1	8.9	6.9	11.6
2024	4.2	6.5	6.5	9.5	13.6	14.4	15.8	15.4	13.7	11.2	8.9	7.2	10.6
2023	5.2	6.8	6.6	9.1	13.7	18.6	16.3	16.3	14.7	11.1	7.6	6.7	11.1
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Global Solar Radiation in Joules/cm2 for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	6741	3762											10503
2025	7308	11955	25430	44615	64505	45465	47402	38468	29164	11727	7736	4441	338216
2024	7248	12401	23032	39685	47333	50366	49632	38203	31451	16628	6586	4121	326686
2023	6245	10639	21429	37277	55732	58473	41797	36857	29338	16225	8326	4411	326749
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Potential Evapotranspiration (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	11.3	7.3											18.6
2025	12.9	22.0	39.5	70.1	100.3	76.4	80.3	68.6	45.4	28.0	13.9	15.1	572.5
2024	15.4	18.2	36.0	56.9	74.7	76.7	80.9	60.8	49.0	27.6	14.2	15.6	526.0
2023	14.3	20.9	33.0	56.4	83.3	100.6	70.1	64.4	50.1	26.1	14.2	14.7	548.1
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Evaporation (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2026	15.1	10.0											25.1
2025	17.1	30.5	55.3	97.0	139.0	107.8	110.6	94.7	64.1	37.1	18.2	18.6	790.0
2024	20.2	25.4	51.9	83.7	104.9	109.8	112.6	88.3	67.8	37.5	18.4	20.0	740.5
2023	18.8	28.2	47.6	81.6	118.2	137.1	99.5	89.1	67.8	35.5	18.4	19.0	760.8
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Degree Days Below 15.5 Degree Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2026	305	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2025	294	235	205	132	82	49	23	21	76	121	201	246	1685
2024	293	221	234	169	91	89	45	41	77	117	191	228	1796
2023	275	210	246	171	85	18	39	26	53	118	203	237	1681

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Notes on the Data

Evaporation and PE data are calculated using Penman/Monteith formulae.
The ‘LTA’ (referred to within a table) is average for the climatological long-term-average (LTA) reference period 1981-2010.
Data updated daily at Mid-day.
To view the Weather Events for Public Works Contracts data, select a station first, then click the link just below the map.

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 Nenagh, where our nephew's wedding is to take place in July, we'll have a chance to visit them. How fun. They brought 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.