Life in the Loire.
As we approach the end of May, growers around us have been breathing a big sigh of relief as we seem to have passed the risk of frost.
Yesterday, after a rather odd day when it was cool in the morning and really hot in the afternoon, the skies turned black around five o’clock and then suddenly, a violent storm accompanied by hailstones, battered the house and garden for about a quarter of an hour and then stopped, just as suddenly. Looking out of the kitchen window and seeing our lovely roses and vines being battered in the front garden, we crossed our fingers and hoped that this sudden turn in the weather would not make it a black day for growers.
Hail is devastating to vineyards. It literally strips the foliage off the vines and can leave growers with nothing, all in the space of a few minutes. Now you see it, now you don’t. I don’t have any news of damage to Loire vineyards as yet but have seen harrowing pictures of vineyards in the Lot further south that have been completely destroyed by the same storm that seems to have hit most of France and the UK as well.
On a more positive note, we’ve had a lovely week. The weather has been kind enough to give us cool mornings and sunshine in the afternoons making it a pleasure to be out and about in the vineyards. We welcomed a lovely family of 4 from Washington State and Idaho that initially booked with us in 2014 and had to cancel due to ill health. 4 years later they finally made it down here to the Loire as part of their stay in Paris. And yesterday we had a fantastic day with a couple from Florida, keen to really get a fundamental understanding of the region we showed some quirky wines and had a great visit with Mathieu Vallée in Saumur Champigny in the afternoon. Visiting Mathieu is always a pleasure. We’ve known him and loved his wines for 10 years now (since he first started out) and it’s one of the rare chances we have to taste from barrel which is always a treat.
It’s Mother’s Day here in France. Rosie is coming over later and we have a late, lazy lunch planned in the garden and maybe a stroll down to the riverside in Le Thoureil. I’ve been lucky this year. Being in London on English Mother’s Day, Rosie treated me to a Japanese lunch so this time it’s our turn to cook!
Sending warm regards to other Mums in France today and of course to you all.
Cathy
