This little pomegranate tree is only two years old but it is full of big, ripening fruit
There was more than a partridge in this pear tree. The pear tree is next to the pomegranite and it too has a massive crop this year. I hope our neighbours give us a bag of these!
Vaso's family picked their grapes last weekend and next day pressed them and put the juice into barrels. This year's vintage was not as good as other years. They picked only 35 crates of red and white grapes but pressed 450 litres of juice. Their normal year is 600 litres and often much more.
I went up to take photos of the pressing but the cursing and yelling that was coming out from the press made me back off. I'll try again next year. Tempers were boiling over, the wasps had gathered and while pouring the juice into barrels they slopped quite a few litres 'overboard'.
Next year they want to buy a still and make raki from the grape residue. The stalks and skins are put into a large barrel, covered in grape juice and sealed. Then in November or even later they can make moonshine.
This year the residue is piled up for the chickens to scratch through and then used for compost.
Vaso didn't take part in any of this. She looks after the vineyard all through the year but has left the younger ones to make the wine. She will get her reward with year long free flowing wine and no doubt is looking forward to sampling next season's raki (tsipouro).
Remember the weather forecasting that goes on during August by observing the weather changes each day. Each day for 12 days of August the changes in clouds, winds and temperatures are observed, each day representing one of the following months of the year.
Well this weather forecast for the first week of September has already been proved wrong. These 'folk' forecasters predicted cool temperatures and north winds. Instead we had very high temperatures and little or no wind. In fact the weather according to them is still cool, nothing like the high humidity, windless days and hot sun we are experiencing now.
35o today and tomorrow. Little wind. Beware the mosquito.
So interesting to share what's going on in your neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteDitto for Your neck of the woods. I always love reading how you are living on the other side of the world!
DeleteI bought wine on Saturday, and my vigneron said he will only have about 35% of his usual production this year. He didn't say if the price will rise!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our prices will go up too. We're hoping to get 20 litres of Vaso's last year's vintage. Theyve still got a lot left and it's quite drinkable.
DeleteWas it a dry year? Is this what affects production? We have had weeks of lots of rain. It's so wet out here that we can't even walk in the paddocks
ReplyDeleteI would of backed away from all that yelling and swearing too. No one can swear like a Greek lol
We had rain in July but then a really fierce heatwave followed by a couple more. Vaso's also overdid the de-leafing so it is said and the exposed grapes were burnt. I find it hard to believe v would make a mistake like that.
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