Yesterday we put the big tent up. This year’s first sizeable party of vineyard visitors today. They eemed to enjoy it. Laughter drifting over the vines to where I was tying down and they came over and one or two had a go at doing it! Seemed very taken with the new Ligatex vine twisty tyer thing. Looking forward to the visiting season really getting going. Not that long till English wine week! And there’s to be a tasting of Somerset’s English wines and cheeses at nearby Blackmore Farm on May 10th to celebrate the newly-created Somerset Day. Good chance to try your local English wines if you’re local.

The vineyard hedges are full of blackthorn, pear and wild cherry blossom. The weather has been cloudless for ages. We’ve finished pruning (see our April Photo of the  Month) but still deep in tying down - it’s been a delight. Vine buds are bursting out all over though, a week early, which makes tying down trickier.

So it’s frost risk time. And yes, sadly we HAVE had slight frost the last three mornings. You know when they say “may be colder than this in the countryside”? Well yes, it was. Lost some buds in the bottom Madeleine by the gate, the lowest corner of the vineyard where the cold air pools. We think not too much damage, though it’s nipped most buds within 2 feet of the ground there, which isn’t great for the gap-filling baby vines who’ll have to start again. Jack F. done our bud-rubbing and shoot thinning for us! But that bottom block we have left till last to tie down - been here before - so their arms were safe in the air and we don’t think we’ve lost too many fruiting buds.

The swallow of my last post turned out not to make a summer after all. It only stayed for the afternoon, and then we didn’t see another until yesterday, very late in the month. But today the air was filled with that unmistakeable “ker-TWEET” as they squabbled over nesting sites, and that spectacular dipping and wheeling flight. Welcome, welcome, room for you all. Hope you’ll stay this time!

Our 2014 wines came home as planned on the 11th. All smooth, no untoward incidents. All now safely stacked in the winestore. And is it up to it’s  sobriquet of Vintage of Dreams? Well, of course we did taste it when it arrived. And now it’s maturing in the quiet and dark of the earthen-floored stone winestore. When it comes out, you must be the judge (and in due course next year’s competition judges), but suffice it to say, we’re very chuffed with it. Just sent it off for it’s analysis and tasting for English PDO quality status.