April 2021

April can be the cruellest month of the year in the vigneron’s calendar: all that preparation of winter pruning and vine laying can be all for nought. As the weather improves, the young tender buds appear….and then a night of frost can zap them to obliteration. The vine will send out a secondary bud but it is never as good as its senior. Thanks to a cold March and April this year’s buds were in woolly bud stage — unlike last year when during the warm spell of the first lockdown when many were sunbathing in their gardens and the shoots were 12 inches from the heated wire and hence unprotected — when we had a series of night with minus temperatures. Yet it was still cold enough to damage some of these, even with the heated wires going like fury.

This is the month for bud rubbing where the unwanted water shoots 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.

The operation shown below is known in the trade as ‘ bud rubbing’, where the unwanted water shoots 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.