Something very interesting happened this morning when I got out of bed – I didn’t rush to the window to check on the weather. I also stopped trawling through the weather websites, at least until next year. So when I eventually did leave home and discovered that it actually was raining, I really didn’t care!

So our attention now turns to the contents of our tanks – the grape must. The first thing that I have to say is that we are thrilled with the fruit that we have collected, and so taking into account that quality ALWAYS originates in the vineyard, we should have have the raw material to make some very good wine in 2017 (to sell in 2018).

It’s true to say that no matter how much experience we have working our harvests, we will always be looking for new ideas and ways to improve our working practices in the future. We keep notes of these ideas, discuss them, and then perhaps incorporate one or two in the next vintage. There are also clearly one or two things that are fundamental to a successful campaign – forward planning is vitally important to a smooth and less stressful harvest, as is having a well organised, well-drilled team around us – thankfully we do.