This is the time of year when we sow a cover crop in the vineyard rows. We do this to get more organic material into the soil, which improves its structure. Rains have been steady throughout May, and were kickstarted by a storm that deposited in excess of 100mm over one twelve-hour period in April.

Vines are slowly losing their now-discoloured leaves – these pictures were taken in our second-oldest Cinsaut vineyard (planted in 1972). The reason for the red colouring of the leaves is that the vines are infected with a virus that produces anthocyan.

We need cold weather to push the vines into winter dormancy, which we hope lasts until spring. During warm spells in the past few winters vines have actually started budding, which throws the whole process out. We delay pruning as much as possible, but it definitely cannot start until the vines are dormant.