31 Mar Grapevine adopters’ newsletter (March, 2015)
Març marcedor, nit freda i dia amb calor (March-like March, cold nights and warm days. A Catalan saying)
As the saying tells us, March has been quite unpredictable in terms of weather. Days of cold, rain, fog, and particularly overcast ones, when clouds wouldn’t dissipate… Sometimes, the landscape seemed so melancholic that we weren’t able to take any picture. However, the month’s finale was just surprising: full of sunshine and quite warm. With typically cool Priorat nights, though… So we started the Easter week enjoying some noticeably springlike weather!
Evidently, after quite a chilling winter we’ve gone through, it didn’t go unnoticed that almond trees (growing on our estates) took some extra time before blossoming! They showed blossoms in March, thus contradicting the proverb “pel mes de febrer, treu flor l’ametller”… Early in the month of March, we spotted a sunny morning to go watching bees at work: they filled our vineyards with their jolly buzz, so that we managed to take a few pictures for you.
Due to autumn rainfalls and February snow (preceded by mule-ploughing in March, 2014), our old vineyard has been covered with a lovely green carpet. After weeding it, we’ll cash in on this grass using it as fertiliser for grapevines and also as a soil protection against overheating in the sizzling summer sunshine.
At the vineyards, we’ve finished pruning and we also ploughed the terraces. So we only have young Grenache slopes left.
At the winery, we’ve had some good news on behalf of the Consell Regulador regarding our new qualified wines, three of them have been classified as vins de la vila de Gratallops, which means that on 2 May we’re taking part in Tast amb Llops, an event created for international wine professionals who want to learn more about wines from our village. We’ll be next to René Barbier and Josep-Lluís Pérez, for example… Thrilling, right?
Well, speaking of events, on 29 March we participated in the 2nd fair of Catalan cheeses and wines from the Priorat county, set up by our neighbours from Clos Figueras: some of grapevine adopters were able to see that it was a very vibrant come-together.
In March, we also started collaborating with the HumanVins middlemen and also with the Urbansai start-up from Girona (bonsais made of grapevine logs). In the forthcoming newsletter, we’ll give you the lowdown!
And finally, a historical picture of March, 2005; our terrace estate planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, being pruned and awaiting spring… young yet well-shaped vines!
Happy Easter!
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