A series of circular blades rotates and makes a first cut separating the canes that have attached themselves to the top wire from the rest of the plant.
There is plenty to be done in the vineyard after harvest has finished and while it’s not the best time to start pruning, there are plenty of other things that can be done during the Winter months. This machine is ‘pre-pruning’ the vines which makes life quicker and easier for the pruners to do their work later on.
When we talk all things Muscadet and the region close to the sea at Nantes, there’s only one grape variety that springs to mind.
It’s easy to see the effects of climate change here in the Loire valley. Over the past 20 years we’ve had more heat and more frost.
Well, it seems like we made it past the frost saints (11th, 12th and 13th May) so growers are beginning to relax as we approach the second half of May. We had one or two nights in the past couple of weeks when temperatures dropped dangerously close to zero but it seems that we are out of the major danger zone.
Walk into any cellar in the Loire valley during harvest time and the chances are you’ll see wooden barrels with lots of chalk scribbles on the side.
The Chenin Blanc grapes are now coming in as harvest continues here in the Loire valley.
The weather in the Loire has been unseasonally hot and dry these past few weeks and as temperatures rose, hail storms were predicted.
