hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn December 2016 | Page 22

The diary of a BUCKINGHAMSHIRE VINEYARD aged 8¼ SO, WE’VE DONE IT. THE HARVEST IS NOW GATHERED IN ……OUR FIVE VARIETALS - ORTEGA, BACCHUS, PINOT NOIR, PINOT MEUNIER AND CHARDONNAY - ALL SAFELY DELIVERED TO THE WINEMAKER, OUR ALCHEMIST, WHO WILL NOW TURN THE ORBS INTO WINE. This also means that this is my last diary entry for Hiya Bucks which I hope has given a flavour of the joys and trials of running a vineyard in England. We had three harvest days in all. Volunteers were regulars and loyal friends descending on Dropmore from London, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, who together with family members gave their time in memory of our lost founder JP. “He would have been proud” said one son. Harvest is always a rewarding day when the vineyard comes alive with happy banter from pickers, punctuated by gales of laughter as they put the world to rights and pull each other’s legs. Tasks completed, it’s indoors for a hot lunch and chance to judge the fruits of last year’s labours. So, what was the professional verdict this year? True to earliest predictions, the overall yield was modest, some two thirds down on last year. Early frost at critical bud burst period 01628 664376 [email protected] 22 and heavy rains at flowering were partly to blame. But there is positive news. Grape quality was strong. The Winemaker praised the vineyard on its husbandry which delivered him the cleanest grapes of anywhere, and of good healthy quality. ‘Wish you had double the crop,’ he muttered on first tasting an Ortega grape. Nor are we alone. This is apparently the story from vineyards around this part of the country with yields down by one third to one half. “One of the worst years in my 30 years of working in the English industry,” said the Winemaker, second only to 2012 which was effectively a wipeout in many vineyards, large and small, when many simply had no harvest. That said, he believes in the three year cycle of bad, better, best crops. On that basis, 2017 could well be a bumper year! You have to be an optimist in this game. Certainly understanding the vagaries of the business with no guarantees that one www.dropmorewines.co.uk To advertise in Hiya Bucks text or call 07947 349134