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Yesterday afternoon I arranged a clandestine meeting with Louisa up in the vineyards to swap contraband. She’d promised to give me some sourdough starter.

It seems to obvious to me as I walk through the vineyards above the house. It’s easy for me to spot which vineyards are healthy and which are not.

Whoa! That was a bit of a shock! I got out of bed and what do I see? An sms on the mobile phone from the Government telling me to stay inside!

We woke up to a dull drizzly day. Gone is the sunshine of yesterday. Back to reality, although the forecast is for more sunny weather as the week goes on.

As we step away from using so many chemicals and pesticides in the vineyard, it has also become clear that there are other things we should be addressing.

What a beautiful day. The first bright and sunny day for weeks. Something to lift the spirits as we enter into a rather dark period of our lives.

Yesterday we drove into Tours to collect some paint that we’d ordered and took the opportunity to pop into Les Halles to buy some cheese for the week.

So it seems I’m going to have plenty of time to wander around the vineyards over the next few weeks. The plateau just above the house is planted with Chenin.

Vines are hardy plants that will grow in the most unlikely of places. Does that mean that we can make wine anywhere in the world?

Small businesses such as ours are suffering in the wake of the Coronavirus but at least we’re not on total lock down like they are in Italy.

I mentioned that growers have been leaving pruning late to avoid the risk of frost and that some are pruning in 2 passes.

To be honest, my experience of wines that come from historic monuments is mediocre. It’s perfectly understandable, the château is the main business.