Vine life during Spring time
The vineyard comes to life as the temperatures start to rise. The sap begins coursing through the vines again and the buds open during the course of April to reveal tender green leaves.
The landscape is abloom, with almond and cherry treess first. The vines, however, will have to wait until the month of May for their flowers to blossom. Nature reasserts itself and the “unwanted’ weeds begin tomake their appearance: a special tool or a horse will be used to clear the rows of vines of competing vegetation.
A cold winter heralds a good year
The winter was pretty cold in our part of the world! We were even surprised to find a beautiful blanket of snow over the vineyard at the end of February. It would be premature for us to say that 2018 will be a successful year, but certainly a cold winter and clearly defined seasons are often favourable to vine development. This is because when the temperature is low in winter, the sap stops circulating and the vines lie ‘dormant’.
This will make them more resistant during the course of the year and help them withstand the summer temperatures beneath the hot Provençal sunshine.
Dates in our diaries
Between February and May, we take part in a number of trade fairs that take us away from the winery.
This year, we travelled to Montpellier for the Vinisud trade fair in February followed by Prowein in Düsseldorf in March. Prowein is THE international exhibition for wine industry professionals hosting: 6,900 exhibitors from 64 countries and 60,000 visitors from 130 countries! A unique opportunity to meet a huge number of our customers and present our winery to potential leads.
Our new springtime Cuvées
In April, we are going to bottle the 2016 Domaine de Longue Toque reds and, for the very first time, a 2017 white Côtes du Rhône produced from our high altitude vines. You will soon discover these wines in the brand new estate bottle and label. More will be revealed in a future article. Patience until then!
Celebrate Easter with family & good food
Looking at what to enjoy at Easter time , we recommend two options to treat your family to.
For a modern Easter lunch, opt for cod poached in verbena served with soft-boiled eggs, roasted green asparagus tips and steamed potatoes. All paired with an Côtes du Rhône Organic white Gabriel Meffre, a wine with fruity and floral notes for a delicious springtime pairing.
If you feel Easter wouldn’t be Easter without lamb, a roast rack of Sisteron lamb with a hazelnut and coffee crust served with spring vegetables (petit pois, carrots and violet artichokes) will do just the trick. A classic dish with a twist that is the perfect accompaniment to a Vacqueyras Domaine Longue Toque with violet and peppery herb notes.
Gabriel Meffre wishes all of you a joyful Easter holiday!
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