The Art of Leaf-Stripping
July 21st 2008, by GQ
Nearly all the top Châteaux are at it, as are most quality-driven estates in Bordeaux. The practice of effeuillage is not something one reads about on a back-label (not that there are many of those on top-class claret) but it’s an important job at this time of year. Over the last week - with the help of a dozen experienced seasonal workers - we’ve been busy removing the leaves from around the fruit zone, so that the bunches get a good airing for the rest of the growing season. The general idea is that this will help the grapes to ripen over the next few months, with the added bonus that the risk of bunch rot is reduced.
The leaves are plucked away from the grapes on the cooler, morning-sun side of the row of vines at this stage, because sudden exposure might cause sun-burn on the grapes facing the mid-day and afternoon heat. Many top vineyards complete the job on the other side in early September when it’s slightly cooler, but that phase seems to be less critical. We’ll decide on how to play it then.
Rick Stein’s New Seafood Restaurant
July 17th 2008, by GQ
We took advantage of our week’s holiday in Cornwall to see one of our best-known and longest-standing customers, Rick Stein, and to have dinner at his new-look Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Rick has included our Chateau Bauduc Bordeaux Blanc as one of his ’special selections’ on the front page of his wine list since our 2000 vintage, and the label sports his signature next to the Bauduc logo.
I had a brief chat with Rick, who was fully immersed in filming a one-off Christmas show and another series for the BBC with his old sparring partner, director David Pritchard. They’ve worked together for donkey’s years, and I first met the affable, Rumpole-like David when they were filming Rick’s French Odyssey series during their Bordeaux pitstop in 2004. He calls me Greg, for some reason, but, in his defence, he does meet a lot of people on their travels together. Rick and Dave’s third BBC series exploring food and cooking outside Britain, having covered South West France and then the Mediterranean, will be set around Asia.
A Wet Week in Cornwall
July 14th 2008, by GQ
We must have picked about the worst week to go to Cornwall for a break, weather-wise. From the 4th to the 11th July, it rained and rained, and then rained some more. Each time we looked hopefully at the forecast, it seemed that the southwest was the blackest spot in England, with the occasional severe weather warning.
I didn’t get a chance to go and see Bob Lindo at his Camel Valley vineyard, but I can’t imagine he was too thrilled either. It felt more like March, with chilly walks and strong winds, and we didn’t manage to get the children to a sandy beach, not even once.
Saint-Emilion Classification: a French Farce
July 6th 2008, by GQ
The long running saga concerning the re-classication of the top estates of St-Emilion took another twist this week when a court in Bordeaux ruled against the recently revised rankings. The whole affair has been widely reported, as in The Daily Telegraph, and by Sophie Kevany on decanter.com. Wikipedia’s current entry on this debacle is now right up-to-date and includes the useful, but now suspended, 2006 classification.