FROM CAMEL VALLEY VINEYARD

The most frequently asked question this summer has been ‘has the bad weather affected the vineyard?’ The simple answer is Yes and No. The Seyval vines were just starting to flower when the seemingly incessant deluge began at the beginning of July, and have not been able to set many grapes this year, so yes, they’ve suffered. All the other varieties have coped better with the wet weather, and are carrying plenty of grapes. They are starting to ripen nicely with sugar levels rising rapidly, and we should start picking in September.

In recent years journalists have bombarded us for quotes and comments on the unusually hot weather/is this a sign of global warming?/is England now more suitable for viticulture than Bordeaux? etc, etc. This year, of course, it’s a different matter, with everyone clamouring for comments about ‘the disaster for England’s vine growers,’ etc. We’ve refused to get drawn into this media discussion, after all you don’t plant a vineyard in this country and then complain about the weather.

Also, we feel it’s important to keep things in perspective. After all, no one has lost their life in the rain here, or seen their homes ruined by floods and their treasured possessions lost as has happened elsewhere. In addition, farmers up and down the country have lost their crops and incomes. We’ve had three successive years of perfect grape growing conditions, and now this year will be just an average season, so we’re not complaining.