SPRING has certainly sprung, but in some ways it is a little bit too early, with grapevines emerging ahead of schedule.
This comes on top of our protracted dry conditions, which is leaving us exposed to frost damage.
We managed to escape any serious damage this week but I will certainly be watching the weather very closely.
White varieties are generally in demand for Vintage 25, but as for most red varieties, they are simply not wanted.
Most of the movement on the bulk wine front is at a very low price, which equates to a not-unexpected non-viable situation.
A lot of large plantings have emerged across recent years, and for various reasons most of them have gone belly-up – and during the process spoiled things for the average producer.
The water job is only going to get more interesting, for want of another description.
For example, not only are the environmental buybacks worrying most of the impacted producers (and their communities), my understanding that is our water delivery authorities are also concerned about the future viability of our irrigation districts.
I’m pretty sure down the track it will be recognised that the extreme push to please the environmentalist green groups was a truly stupid idea.
Gary and George, the neighbour’s goats, have been making close inspections of a patch of our Cabernet Sauvignon.
Should these inspections continue, permanent relocation procedures will be conducted, followed by the emergence of a brand-new souvlaki in town named GG’s Chewy Souvlaki.
I must have left the tractor door open for a while during smoko recently because when I returned a heap of blowies had dropped in to warm up on a cold day.
During the afternoon Ollie the Orb had rounded them all up, doing the spider thing he does so well, and he looked pretty satisfied with himself.
The, all of a sudden, a nasty smell was emanating from Ollie’s direction, and when I looked around he had a big cheeky grin on his face as if to say “About time I got one back on you”.
Please talk to your mates.
