Thursday, October 23, 2008

The party's over?

No, it's only just begun, but it is time to put the picking knives away until harvest 2009. We brought our own Cabernet sauvignon in last Sunday. Vinomaker was ready this morning for the last batch of a friend's Cab, but it didn't materialise...Mother Nature had other ideas. Timing, in life, is everything. Whilst Vinomaker and I were enjoying 90 plus degree temps last May, the grapevine flowers were not. Things got hot, the flowers did not pollinate properly, a percentage of berries did not form thus resulting in poor fruit set and consequently a reduced crop. It's a condition called shatter. Hence not enough Cab to go around, (same problem with the Cabernet franc two weeks ago). We will have to be content with the Cab, Syrah, Pinot grigio, Semillion, Orange muscat and Viognier we already have...hic!

3 comments:

Ron Combo said...

Orange muscat eh? Never heard of that one. At the risk of sounding like a complete plonker....is it a moscato that tastes, er, orangey? Moscato around here is massive but this is a new one on me.

Vinogirl said...

Yes, it is a moscato, it has that distinct linalool character that all muscats have, and yup,it's ever so slightly orangey. We also have a 'July Muscat' table grape on a trellis, it has the linalool...but doesn't taste of July :)

monkey said...

i have tried both of those berries, mostly while the vinodags were not watching and if memory serves little Princess OTW preffered the Orange Muscat. The girls has taste even at a young age.