Whilst our pre-harvest work is well under way, cleaning equipment in the bodega and cutting grass in the vineyards etc., the bodega itself is surrounded by storms! The first day of September has bought a sudden downturn to the weather – yesterday very much a beach day, and today very much not. At this moment it is not actually raining, albeit we can hear the odd rumble of thunder in the distance, but this in itself, is not the most worrying development.

Yesterday evening, in our Provincial capital of Pontevedra (about 20km from the bodega) we had hail storms! Including some quite sizeable pieces (see photo), certainly enough to do some serious damage if they were to fall in the wrong areas. We have already witnessed some serious hail damage in both the Ribera del Duero and the Loire Valley in France a couple of months ago, and so we have our fingers firmly crossed that this type of event is not repeated here. Unfortunately, with hailstorms they are not only completely unpredictable, but they are often also very localised, some vineyards being hit, whilst other neighbouring vineyards are not. It really is in the lap of the weather Gods.

Tomorrow we will make our last bottling before the harvest. Thankfully our wine sales has been pretty buoyant for the last few months as customers have been re-stocking their cellars after lockdown. Also, it would seem, that at least some enthusiastic consumers have been making up for lost time, albeit that we would never condone overindulgence in alcohol.

In other news or local weather has been more favourable over the last couple of weeks. Our vineyards have been benefitting from some warm sunshine with temperatures into the mid-20’s C (75-80°F), indeed, in the last couple of the mercury has touched 30°C (86°F). Although we have enjoyed some sunshine before, it has never been exceptionally warm, and so we really needed this extra boost of heat to ripen our fruit.

As the harvest draws closer (we estimate around the second of September), we now turn our attention to preparing the wine cellar. Over the next couple of weeks every tank, every hose, every floor, everything in the cellar has to be deep cleaned. We also need to have all our winemaking materials on hand (orders already placed), and every machine and pump that we use has to be cleaned and tested. We try to anticipate everything, leaving as little as possible to chance.

Historically, Spanish people tend to take their summer holidays is fortnight blocks, often on fixed dates. In other words visitors to Galicia might arrive for the first two weeks of July, and then a second, new group might arrive for the second two weeks (extending throughout August in exactly the same way). These blocks are known, and referred to, as ‘quincenas’ and I must say that it continues to amaze me how many people still follow these very rigid patterns (although this is likely dictated by business summer closedowns).

A day or two ago was a big changeover weekend, as the calendar ticked over from July into August. Unfortunately for us,  with this changeover came yet another change – to the weather!

The first few days of the month have been dreadful, with leaden grey skies, rain, drizzle and cool temperatures. This is not good news for our vineyards. The grape bunches themselves are now fully formed, and normally, during the heat of August, we would hope that the vibrant green berries would be transformed into luscious, ripe, golden fruit. However, in these cool temperatures, and with the level of damp, cool air that we have, it’s fair to say that the overall quality of our 2021 harvest now hangs in the balance and could go either way.

Our local town of Cambados would normally be a hive of activity this week, as preparations get under way for the annual Albaiño Festival. The main event usually comprises about 20 booths set up around the town square where visitors can buy and sample albariño by the glass (and enjoy the summer sun?). This ‘tasting’ always attracts huge, thronging crowds, and so, owing to our ongoing Covid restrictions, was the first 2021 event to be cancelled.

Unfortunately, as the Delta variant has now started to spread locally, other events, such as the tunnel of wine tasting (my favourite tasting of the year), have also fallen by the wayside, and there is now little left.

The real pity is that after a few miserable, cool, grey days, we finally have a better forecast for this week – perfect for our annual celebrations.

Certainly this weather, from a vineyard point of view, is far from perfect, and despite the sun, it is still not going to be very hot (for the time of year).

I speak English, French and Spanish, albeit that my French is getting a bit rusty now, as I haven’t used it for some time. When I do occasionally try to use it I often throw the odd Spanish word into the middle of a sentence – completely unwittingly.

This morning on my way to work I glanced up at the motorway gantry (see photo), which, for a split second, my brain translated as “If babies don’t drive, have a happy (safe) journey!” What? Babies driving? Of course, I quickly realised and re-adjusted my translation to the real meaning “If you drink, don’t drive – Happy journey!” Beber is the Spanish verb to drive – nothing to do with bébé, the French word for babies!

Actually, in this photo you may also notice the dreadful weather. Not raining, but heavy grey skies with low cloud, and damp hanging in the air. Last week we had a few very hot days at a little over 30°C (86°F), but on Sunday the cloud moved in at it has remained cool and damp ever since, at just under 20°C (68°F).

Of course, this type of weather is far from ideal, the only positive being that it is not the type of warm humidity that would create an even more prefect breeding ground for vine disease. However, we still have to remain very vigilant.

Weather is a Great British obsession, but to be honest, is also the obsession of everyone that works in the agricultural industry. No matter what the crop, the quantity and quality will be determined by the weather. Of course, there are many other factors that determine quality, but if the elements are not working in favour of the producer, then the job becomes doubly difficult.

So far in 2021, we have had sun, but without excessive temperatures – days have been pleasant and nights have been cool. One simple way that I can judge the early morning temperature is in my bathroom! When I have my daily shower with the window open, if the outside air temperature is warm (perhaps high teens °C) then my bathroom remains steam free, but obviously, when there is a chill in the air, I have steam – simple! I have discovered that this small indicator actually works very well, and also helps me decide if I need to wear a sweater or not.

So what about the masks (in today’s photo)? About a week or so ago the Spanish President announced that masks would no longer be compulsory when walking outside (until now this was compulsory, everywhere). A week or so later, I was quite surprised to see that probably about 98% of people are still wearing them – it is rare to see someone without. Of course, I can’t speak for the whole of Spain, but from what I have witnessed locally, the Spanish are remaining very circumspect.

Since the last week of May, and up until today, the weather has at least remained dry. Temperatures, however, were still struggling at around the 20°C mark (68°F), and it wasn’t until the second week of June that the thermometer finally hit the mid-to-high 20’s C (75-85°F). The good news is that these conditions proved to be almost perfect for flowering, and by the time that today’s rain arrived, the bunches had already started to take shape, with the small berries starting to grow almost to the size of peas (actually more like ‘petit pois’ at this stage!). Of course, this recent combination of rain and sun has meant that the vine plants themselves are extremely vigorous and the canopies are thick with vegetation. There will clearly need to be some thinning of leaves over the coming month or two.

On the business front things are also looking much brighter, as a few important markets slowly emerge from this disastrous pandemic. New orders have been arriving thick and fast, and to be honest we have almost been struggling to keep up. No sooner do we bottle a new tank, than the whole lot is out of the door! I think it’s pretty fair to say that we are not complaining….

As of today, everyone at Castro Martin has had at least one Covid vaccination – not because the rollout in Spain has suddenly become super-efficient, but mostly because our team are a bunch of geriatrics!! Actually, that’s a little unkind, the last in our group to be vaccinated are still mere babies, in their 40’s.

Angela (who had a Pfizer jab) has already had her second dose, and the rest of our team (who also had Pfizer), will have their second injection within the next week or two. I am the only exception! I had Astra Zeneca, and therefore my second dose will not be for another month or so.

Despite all this, life goes on pretty much as before – masks are still compulsory, and we still have social distancing regulations in public places. Moreover, my hands are also chaffed from washing!

On the bright side (literally) the weather has picked up. The last week of May and the first couple of weeks of June have been warm and sunny. In the last day or so we have actually reached 28°C (82°F) on the thermometer, although this brief heatwave is forecast to end after the coming weekend. Well, at least we enjoyed good weather for our flowering period.

Over the weekend, and almost for the first time this year, the temperatures in Galicia hit the mid-20’s °C (73-77°F). And not before time! This sudden increase in temperature has the effect of warming the land, but as the temperature of the sea is much slower to warm up, so we end up with sea mist, also known as advection fog. Of course, sea fogs and mists are a very normal and regular part of our Atlantic Maritime climate during the spring and summer (obviously dictated by temperature). This morning we woke up to a dense sea fog.

These conditions are just one of the factors that give us our ‘cool climate’ status in the wine making world, albeit that on this occasion, the accompanying heat is what we really needed. Until about a week or so ago (as I have previously mentioned), our spring weather has been mostly cool and damp. We are really lucky therefore, that this dryer and slightly warmer weather has arrived just in time for our flowering, and should result in a good fruit set. (Fruit set is the time when the flowers are transformed into peppercorn-sized berries).

So far, the month of May has continued with pretty much the same weather as April, cool, damp and unsettled. The most notable feature of our Spring this year being the temperature. By this time of year we would normally expect to have seen at least a few hot, sunny days, and, whilst we have enjoyed some sun, the temperatures have remained stubbornly low (mainly due to wind direction). The dominant airflow has originated mainly from the north, with some slight variations from the northeast and northwest, but only rarely from any southerly direction.

Of course, this damp, cooler whether does not make for ideal flowering conditions, although there are one or two small areas (in our more protected sites) where flowering is now already underway. The forecast for the coming days is still quite variable, and so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed that this important transition period, from flower to grape, will not be too impaired.