Days of Vine and Roses.

  With the arrival of some sunny days and the departure of the snow, we have been able to start our usual Spring pruning of the climbing roses and of the vines. We have inherited with the house two huge `treilles` which straggle all along our range of outbuildings, and which need to be pruned each Spring. The trunks of the largest vine are as thick as my thigh and in summer are a mass of tender green leaves. At this time of year, though, they have every appearance of being dead. Indeed, when we first saw the house in April 2000, we thought the old vine was dead, what a shame, we will have to plant a new one...We were astounded when we returned to sign the Acte de Vente in July to see that it was very much alive, covered in leaves and developing grapes!
   I am sure my French-based readers know all about pruning vines, but for English (or Scottish) friends I will elaborate a bit.
    In winter or early Spring the vines bristle with last year`s `sarments`, that is the last seasons shoots which have borne the bunches of grapes. They are long cane-like bars, up to 3 metres long. they have to be cut off with secateurs back to a couple of buds, about three inches long. A new fruiting shoot will develop when the plant wakes up in late spring.If you don`t do this, disaster, new shoots will spring from each of the buds down the un-cut shoot, giving it the appearance of a fish`s backbone, and the vine will waste its energies in foliage rather than grapes. The vine after pruning has a ravaged look, which convinced us that it was dead all those years ago. In fact, it is difficult to do much harm to a well-established vine, we even cut one off at ground level in the orchard where one was no longer wanted and it sent up vigorous new growth from nothing!  The root is still there of course.

On the left is a shot I have just taken of the pruned vine, showing the size of the stock or trunk draped along the buildings. All is now ready for the new leaves and eventual grapes.
Kim has carried out a similar procedure on her climbing rose, which looks just as dead!
   We don`t make wine from our grapes, after an attempt years ago which convinced us that it is not  a good idea from this vine which is intended for brandy distillation. Besides the variety, known as Baccou (not sure of the spelling) is illegal to plant and has the reputation of driving drinkers `fou` perhaps because of its strength. We use it to make a delicious jelly and as fruit-juice which needs to be put in the freezer to stop it turning into wine all on its own, and incidentally bursting its containers. We hope to make more this year so we can continue to drink it with our breakfast until the new crop is ready, we have run out a few weeks ago. The jam is still going strong, though. To the best of our knowledge we are not being driven mad by either preparation!

    Bye for now, breakfast calls, with commercial orange-juice, alas!