At this time of year it’s mostly about the pruning… and of course, the weather. Unfortunately the pruning has to be done no matter what the weather decides to throw at us. As I have said a million times before…. well, actually, maybe only half a million, our guys that do this job, come rain or shine, are heroes, and it is certainly not a job that I would volunteer to do!

This winter has been especially bad, the last two months of 2025 were wet, and from January until the third week of February there were only 2 or 3 days without any rain at all. The last week of February and first couple of days of March were a little brighter, and on the first sunny weekend in months the locals came out in their droves, just to feel a little warmth on their faces (and I mean just a little warmth – temperatures remained largely below 20°C (68°F), and mostly in the mid to high teens).

Now, on 5th March, it seems like this brief respite is over and the rain has returned. However, there are a few more breaks in the forecast, and temperatures are slowly starting to creep upwards (but not really high enough to provoke too much life in the vines as yet). The days are getting noticeably longer and so it would appear that Spring may finally be on the way.