Nine flights and (almost) three continents in the last two weeks, hence our blog has been a bit quiet lately. The reason I say ‘almost’ three continents is that the second leg of recent travels included the Canary Islands, which whilst still technically Spanish, are only about 100 km off the coast of North Africa. I seem to have spent a disproportionate amount of my time sitting in airports, and stripping off to pass through security scanners. Oh, the joys of modern travel!

The first leg of my trip was to one of my favorite cities – New York, for a tasting of Rias Baixas wines. Prior to the actual tasting I spent a day or so pounding the streets, bottle in hand, with my good friend Matt, converting his Manhattan and Brooklyn customers to the ways of Castro Martin albariño. The downside was that the thermometer was reading about 31°C (nearly 90°F), and the atmosphere was fiercely oppressive. A very good way to shed a few pounds I can tell you. Suffice to say that our wines were very well received, both on the street, and at the official tasting.

After a frantic return trip from New York (including cancelled Trans Atlantic flight – but that’s another story), I arrived back in Galicia with just enough time to switch suitcases, and pick up my beach gear for the Canary Islands – literally a 12 hours turnaround at home, including sleep. It turns out that the beach gear was not such a good idea after all, as temperatures in Gran Canaria hovered around 20°C (68°F), completely overcast and a lovely chill wind from the Ocean. After a couple of days of business, the free time for a little R&R didn’t really work out too well, and the shorts stayed well and truly tucked away in my suitcase.

The final leg was a stopover in Madrid, for the University graduation of our daughter – a double degree in law and business – Angela, we are very proud of you! (Our daughter is also called Angela, just to keep our life simple). I should mention that the temperature in Madrid was between 35° and 37°C (95 – 98°F), perfect weather for attending a graduation dressed in a suit! It seems like somewhere along the way, I got my suitcases mixed up, and I really needed my shorts for New York and Madrid, not for the beach…..

Meanwhile, back at home in Galicia the weather was also baking hot, which was actually great news for our flowering this year. By the time of my return it was all done and dusted, which effectively would mean that we are looking at a mid-September harvest for 2015….. time will tell.Nine flights and (almost) three continents in the last two weeks, hence our blog has been a bit quiet lately. The reason I say ‘almost’ three continents is that the second leg of recent travels included the Canary Islands, which whilst still technically Spanish, are only about 100 km off the coast of North Africa. I seem to have spent a disproportionate amount of my time sitting in airports, and stripping off to pass through security scanners. Oh, the joys of modern travel!

The first leg of my trip was to one of my favorite cities – New York, for a tasting of Rias Baixas wines. Prior to the actual tasting I spent a day or so pounding the streets, bottle in hand, with my good friend Matt, converting his Manhattan and Brooklyn customers to the ways of Castro Martin albariño. The downside was that the thermometer was reading about 31°C (nearly 90°F), and the atmosphere was fiercely oppressive. A very good way to shed a few pounds I can tell you. Suffice to say that our wines were very well received, both on the street, and at the official tasting.

After a frantic return trip from New York (including cancelled Trans Atlantic flight – but that’s another story), I arrived back in Galicia with just enough time to switch suitcases, and pick up my beach gear for the Canary Islands – literally a 12 hours turnaround at home, including sleep. It turns out that the beach gear was not such a good idea after all, as temperatures in Gran Canaria hovered around 20°C (68°F), completely overcast and a lovely chill wind from the Ocean. After a couple of days of business, the free time for a little R&R didn’t really work out too well, and the shorts stayed well and truly tucked away in my suitcase.

The final leg was a stopover in Madrid, for the University graduation of our daughter – a double degree in law and business – Angela, we are very proud of you! (Our daughter is also called Angela, just to keep our life simple). I should mention that the temperature in Madrid was between 35° and 37°C (95 – 98°F), perfect weather for attending a graduation dressed in a suit! It seems like somewhere along the way, I got my suitcases mixed up, and I really needed my shorts for New York and Madrid, not for the beach…..

Meanwhile, back at home in Galicia the weather was also baking hot, which was actually great news for our flowering this year. By the time of my return it was all done and dusted, which effectively would mean that we are looking at a mid-September harvest for 2015….. time will tell.