April 2020

23 April. This shows the bud just after bud burst.  At this stage it is at its most vulnerable to frost damage.

We hope the night frosts are behind us — we had  three night of sub zero temperatures in April — the worst being on14/15th with  -3.8 registered in the coldest part of the vineyard. The heated wires fired up as planned to good effect.

This is know in the trade as ‘ bud rubbing’, where the unwanted buds appearing primarily on the trunk are rubbed off.  We have designed a special tool from a bog brush and added a long handle in order to save the back from over stress.  Robert seems to ignore the ergonomics of the design whereas Frankie has the right idea.  That’s girls for you — they are just smarter at picking things up.

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