Budburst - come sunshine, hail, frost and rain

Is it worth the worry?

It has been a tense week; budburst is happening across the UK. Friends in Napa or southern Europe might be thinking about flowering already, but we have only just achieved full budburst. It is late even by our own standards. Last year, we had a warm March and saw budburst happen around 14th April - we are a month+ later in 2013 with the warmer weather not coming until well into April. The flipside is that we have a better chance of avoiding frost, although some areas saw some very site-specific frosts last Wednesday night. Hattingley Valley had its FrostGuards out in the vineyard but didn't have to use them. They are also trialling a few rows of temporary coverings for the vines, to be taken on and off at crucial times of the year. The cost of all of these systems is huge and very time-consuming to implement, but pales into insignificance compared to the cost of losing the entire crop so early in the season. It is also, in theory, fundamentally no different to the Kiwis and Aussies using bird nets to protect their crops at ripening.

Of course, protecting the early buds from frost does not mean that all will be plain sailing for the the English vinegrower; last week saw warm sunny days followed by frosty nights followed by sleet and rain. One vineyard I work with asked me to come and inspect the vines after they had an isolated hail storm with hailstones the size of golf balls. About half the buds were knocked clean off the vines whilst others escaped unscathed. I heard no reports of any other vineyards being hit by hail, it was an isolated event. Then, with rain forecast for the next week, temperatures above 10 degrees C, and the leaves of the vines just sprouting, we are already starting the fight against the mildews.

Some might ask why we bother, but anyone who has been bitten by the winegrowing bug will know that feeling of being out in the vineyard, doing some repetitive, boring job, but loving every minute. And the euphoria at harvest when the grapes arrive in the winery safe and sound is hard to beat. Of course, the best moment is popping the cork on a finished bottle of something you have made and sharing it with friends. Sparkling winemakers have to wait a bit longer than most to try the fruits of their labour - I've been tasting some 2010 wines with potential buyers this weekend - it is gratifying when other people obviously enjoy wine you have made. I can't imagine what else I would be doing and I'm privileged to be able to do it so close to home.