As you will know, if you’ve read these vineyard blogs before, the weather, at what we call the margins of vine growing, has featured frequently as a topic of some interest. That said I think I can honestly say, never like this.
In the past we’ve had too cold, too wet, too windy, persistent frost, hailstones and snow, even the odd patch of drought. All the usual suspects but never before have we had ‘too hot’, at least not for any protracted period like the one we’re in the middle of at the moment. It’s not just us of course and you can tell from the UKVA air waves that it’s a topic of interest / concern for all the English and Welsh vineyards.
As I write this a hosepipe ban has been announced in Yorkshire and it is anticipated an official drought situation will be declared this afternoon. many parts of the country are getting and worried about getting, wildfires. There is plenty of moorland round about but to lose grapes to fire now that really would be stepping outside our usual parameters of threat. Never say never, I guess.
Generally, as you might expect, there seems to be a warm welcome, if you’ll pardon the pun, from most of us for this hot weather. Global warming? bring it on. I don’t think anybody else in the country is happy about it, certainly not the water companies or the farmers and gardeners, or older people or the at-risk folks. Even among the vineyard owners the reaction is mixed.
Judging by the webmail exchanges this depends whether you have established vines or have recently planted new vines. The first of the two are doing very well, many vineyards have the grapes developing nicely and even showing signs of veraisson (turning red or green in other words ripening). We’re not quite there yet, but we’re definitely making progress.
The problem comes with those of us that have newly-planted vines. There’s been much debate about whether you should water new vines or even are you allowed to irrigate these crops? It seems we can, in fact, legally water our vines, which is a relief, but, the debate continues as to whether this is actually good for them.
The theory, one theory at least, goes something along the lines of if you do water them, it doesn’t encourage them to put down their roots to where (it is hoped) the water table naturally lies. Their young roots lie just under the surface of the ground and hence remain ever susceptible to future weather anomalies, dryness and probably frost and wind, possible even slugs and insects. And so on.
My vine supplier was in no doubt, he sent me an email advising me to regularly water my one and even two year old vines. You’d think he’d know. So this is what we have been trying to do. Not easy when you’re 30 miles away, but at least I have my man in the dales to get out the hosepipe. There’s no hosepipe ban in Yorkshire as yet (see above) but even if there was it wouldn’t apply to us because all our water comes off the roof and gets stored in a tank.
Vineyard 91 summary
So there we are a definite aquatic theme to this vineyard blog. Or, more accurately, lack of aqua. As one vineyard owner down south said, we’d be quite happy to have no rain at all from May to October. Well, I’m not sure about that. Up in Yorkshire we’re not used to having the weather on our side, but maybe it’s not our side at all. Once again, watch this space.