It's still farming!

It's still farming after all!

Every year something reminds us (usually many times) that making wine starts with the farming. In fact some would say our intervention should basically end with the farming, leaving the wine as natural as possible once bottled. Hence the rise in "Natural Wine" production which we have mentioned in a prior email (we have quite a few from Spain and Portugal newly in stock) but that's a digression.

Actually our minds digress a lot, and not always to farming, but that's another digression.

The purpose of this short piece is to bring us back to the vines and those that tend them. It's difficult work - labor, capital and attention intensive farming for anybody who truly cares about the grapes they will sell or bottle.

This week unsettling weather in the Lanquedoc (southern France) illustrated one extreme that can make tending the land so difficult; as can frost, mildew, hail, drought, fire, birds - the list is rather endless.

An article in Decanter Magazine alerted us to the rains that has flooded swaths of land including many vineyards, and even more unfortunately, killed residents of the region.

Devastating Floods

La Parisien reports that

towns and villages around the fortress city of Carcassonne (in the Limoux wine region which produces sparkling wines of good value), were the worst - devastated by the flash floods which overturned cars, damaged roads and swept away homes.

Given the time of year, when most should have harvested their crops, production of wine from the region shouldn't be impacted but it's highly likely that some will see significant harm to their vineyards and undoubtedly most will be scrambling in the aftermath of the rains to do everything they can to maintain the health of their vines.

We wish them, and other areas which faced trying times this year, the best in their efforts to recover.

We hope you enjoy the fruits of their labor (perhaps consider buying a sparkling wine from Limoux to indicate support) while once in a while remembering where your delicious glass of vino nectar comes from.

Enjoy.