Nick’s Vintage Trip

Autumn is an exciting time for me as a winemaker as it signifies the start of vintage – a time when the grapes are harvested for new wines. I always get involved in this process and work with our suppliers in France to keep a check of how the grapes are looking for the French Connection range. I spent last week visiting our wineries in the Rhône and Roussillon to see how things were going. The trip started on Tuesday with our supplier G.M.D.F in the Rhône. The weather was beautiful with clear, bright sunny autumn days followed by crisp fresh nights. There were still a few workers hand-picking grapes in Gigondas and everyone’s spirits were high. All the French Connection wines are looking good and they’re not even ready yet! The reds were still in maceration, whilst the white wines were finishing fermentation and starting to taste more like the final product.

Summer had not been particularly hot in the Rhône this year, which means both red and white wines will be fresh and bright with higher acidity than normal. I was impressed with the good flavour and colour in the red wines; the Shiraz and Grenache were outstanding whilst the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon may be more of a challenge! I’m confident of some fantastic 2010 French Connection wines…

After a few days with the guys in the Rhône I headed down to Roussillon to catch up with Vignerons Catalans. I stopped by several cellars in the Roussillon Villages region with the sun still shining. It’s typically hotter down in the Roussillon, but I could tell the seasons are turning with the fresh nights and an autumnal tinge to the leaves on the vines. Give it a few weeks and the vineyards will be awash with golden yellows and reds. It’s a beautiful time of year. The Roussillon is slightly down on production as it is their fifth year of drought. Not good for thirsty vines but regardless of this, the quality of the wines are looking fantastic with concentrated flavour showing in the Shiraz, Grenache and Carignan grapes. The 2010 whites are fresher with higher acidity than normal which gives them great potential.

It was a great trip with promising signs for an impressive 2010 vintage for French Connection wines.

Nick

Autumn is an exciting time for me as a winemaker as it signifies the start of vintage – a time when the grapes are harvested for new wines. I always get involved in this process and work with our suppliers in France to keep a check of how the grapes are looking for the French Connection range