June 2004
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Tanked up The builders started by laying the reinforced concrete floor for the tanks on one side of the cellar. Then the back wall, and then each dividing wall were added all using steel reinforced concrete. Before the concrete was poured the moulds had to be built using steel and wooden shuttering on a scaffold frame. When this complex labyrinth of moulds was constructed they would then do the pour. This would be the most tricky part as concrete starts setting from the moment it is poured and the whole lot would have to be done in one single pour to ensure the integrity of the whole.
After the rain in April we hardly had a drop in the whole of May and our cover crop was looking very sad. In fact all that was happening was the guinea fowl were eating the seeds and nothing had germinated. We had to irrigate the vines to make them think it was winter, but this had little effect on the cover crop as the drippers don't reach out between the rows. It was looking like a desert between the rows where it should be knee deep in lush greenery. However relief was at hand. On 4th June we had 50mm of rain and as if by magic in four days there was a small carpet of shoots. The only worry was that the frost would arrive and knock them out before they had established themselves. It was certainly getting colder. There was now a real autumn feel. The leaves on the vines were now all golden and clouds were now permanently obscuring the mountain tops behind the farm.
We are always worried at this time of year because if there is virus in the vineyard it will show itself in red leaves on the affected vines. This red colouring can be caused by shoots strangling themselves or each other (among other non viral factors) so if there are any with red leaves we mark the trunks with a white painted stripe. If the following year they also have red leaves we give them another stripe. If the following year they also show red then they are pulled up. Three stripes and you're out! To the unpracticed eye the red vineyards of South Africa in autumn look lovely, but those red vines are in fact badly infected with leafroll virus. The virus is a serious disease but it does not kill the vine and the only known way to stop it spreading is to uproot the vine, so some growers have just put up with it. Some growers even think it is useful in keeping yields low and some are even convinced it adds character to the wine. In fact it delays ripening to such an extent that colour, flavour and body are all reduced. Sugar levels can still be high enough but phenolic ripening is retarded. Wine made from seriously affected vineyards is lacking and thin. It is in fact impaired and affects the reputation of South Africa as a wine producer. The spread of the disease has been increased by the measures brought in to fight phylloxera. To fight phylloxera, vine material (the varietal scion) is grafted in nurseries onto phylloxera resistant rootstock. The only problem is that by concentrating this activity in a few approved nurseries, some of whom are guilty of grafting virus infected material, leafroll has become widespread. You have no way of knowing if your vineyard is infected when you plant the stokkies (young vines), but if they are infected it is permanent. You can only hope that by buying stock from nurseries certified as free of the virus you can avoid it, but this is by no means guaranteed as it is impossible to tell until the vine is mature. The virus can spread by mealy bug infestation. We are determined not to be affected by this dreaded insect and with an organic vineyard the best way to prevent it is simply to keep it out. We are located far enough away from other vineyards to prevent aerial infection, but infection can happen through animal carriers such as baboons, deer and errant cattle, all of which can be occasional uninvited guests. The 2003 vintage was tasting well. The different blocks had not yet been blended but J-C brought some samples to one of those impromptu tastings that winemakers tend to have among themselves to gauge unofficially/covertly/secretly how they are doing. Apparently the one of our Syrah blocks blew away everything else, but there is a long way to go. The crucial task is to decide the blend or blends so we will have an in house tasting in July to decide on that. Copyright © 2000 Tulbagh Solutions. All rights reserved. |
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