The weather.
The BBC shipping forecast has always had an hypnotic effect on me. All that bloody weather…… nothing like a forecast to evoke images of nature.
“Tyne, Dogger. Northeast 3 or 4. Occasional rain. Moderate or poor.
Rockall, Malin, Hebrides. Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, veering west, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. Rain, then squally showers. Poor, becoming moderate.
Southeast Iceland. North 7 to severe gale 9. Heavy snow showers. Good, becoming poor in showers. Moderate icing.”
I find that winemakers weather reports are similarly beguiling. I think we sometimes forget that wine is a product of nature, and all it takes is a hailstorm to ruin a good harvest.
Here’s the winemaker’s report on the weather that produced the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc from Nitida.
“A very moderate summer led to a late start to our 2012 harvest. Even the short heat wave towards the end of January had little effect on our cool climate vines which recovered quickly despite the fact that there was not a drop of rain from December till the end of harvest.
We carefully managed all our sauvignon blanc vineyards by partially opening up the canopy for optimal sun exposure thus guaranteeing healthy grapes, enhancing fruit development during ripening and ensuring a desirable balance of pyroxene (green) and thiols (tropical).”
And here are his tasting notes on the result.
“Conducive to a happy place/moment in a lime orchard or on a dusty highveld plain. Awesome balance. Intense minerality, sweetpea, lemon grass and citrus pith. Inspires Asian anything, essential with salad.”
Bless. And all for R70 a bottle.
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