The year had started promising with the warmth and sun in April and May, but June and onwards put paid to all hope of an abundant 2011, concluding with the wettest and coldest August in living memory.
The Triomphe d'Alsace in the front garden fought a brave battle and saved the day.
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| Triomphe d'Alsace grape bunch Sept. 2011 |
It played the role of General Bluecher, coming to the rescue of the otherwise lost battle of Waterloo in the patio, where constant rain and little sun caused the Brant grapes to be either green and unripe or downright rotten.
The best of the grapes held about 18 Oechsle - not like last year's 21!
The front vine produced no less than 2 full buckets of grapes and they were in excellent condition.My refractometer told me: 23 oechsle (sugar scale) - that is as good as it gets!
And here's what a typical Triomphe d'Alsace from the front garden looked like this year.
I will have to do something serious about the Triomphe d'Alsace in the patio, though.
Most grapes were small, even dry and with few exceptions not well developed .
Perhaps it is fighting another losing battle with roots that can't find a way under the Yorkshire slabs?
Normally vines are pretty good at sending their 'suckers' deep down - in Chateau Neuf du Pape up to 10m, but something is seriously wrong here.
Further investigation will have to wait till late autumn.
Once the condition has been clarified, I will try my luck with 3 Chardonnay vines, replacing 3 of the Triomphe d'Alsace branches. I have them prepared in pots at the moment.
Apparently Chardonnay is a late ripener, but I put my trust in the global warming, although this seems to have stopped around 1998.
A mix of Triomphe d'Alsace and Chardonnay is nice: a white grape with structure and character mixed with a red 'teinturier' - it must be a winner, if we can get them to become ripe at the same time.
So far 12.5 litres of must is bubbling away for the next 4 days.
This should produce 15 bottles, if 2 litres of pips and grape skins are taken into account.
Not good, but not too bad either.
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