We are in Ireland for a couple of weeks and have been very lucky with the weather! August is proving to be sunny and warm in my home country, a place that Laurent usually associates with sweaters and raincoats! Ireland's green fields have been turning gold... more like the Languedoc terroir that Irish countryside at the moment! We've enjoyed the opportunity to swim in the sea without turning blue with the cold and we've even been seal spotting! We Irish always say that there's nowhere like Ireland in the sunshine... it's just we don't get many opportunities to prove it! I was delighted to show my country off to my family this week and she looked very well under the bright blue skies.
Many vignerons and winemakers in France are breathing a sigh of relief that the outlook for vintage 2022 is a lot more heartening than last year. In the Languedoc-Roussillon area however, recent heatwaves and temperature spikes have seen drought across the region. Our lake was the saviour of our vines during the growing season, as we could drip irrigate when needed. Irrigation is a hot topic at the moment and Jancis Robinson published an article on the topic recently. In light of cliamate change, many people now believe that the traditional wine-growing regions will need to re-assess the regulation that forbids irrigation. With the intense heat of the Languedoc, irrigation can be critical for survival of the vines. However, to produce a quality wine, a strictly measured and controlled system is necessary, which is also the more sustainable way. Our lake fills with water over the winter months and we use the water to drip irrigate at the base of the row of vines, when the buds and grapes are at their most vulnerable from intense heat. Since we don't directly water the vine itself, the plant still has to dig deep for nourishment and water, resulting in concentrated, quality grapes.
I hope you are having a great summer! We'll soon be into harvest time, so we'll keep you updated on our progress. Take care,
Neasa