The reign of Ugni blanc

The Ugni blanc is the predominant variety of vines, about 98 %.  After the phylloxera disaster at the end of XIX century, Ugni blanc replaced Colombard and Folle Blanche. This variety is more resistant to grey rot especially.
The late maturing Ugni Blanc,  is also appreciated for its high acidity level and low alcohol content.

The two historical varieties have progressively disapperead. However, a few winegrowers still have such vines.

And in fact, all the varieties used have been previously grafted on  various vinestocks according to the type of soil where they will grow.

Type of soils in delimited area

Clayey, chalky thin soils for the Champagne (grande champagne & petite champagne), clay and flint stones for the Borderies, clayey, chalky soils known as «groies» very similar to those of the Champagne Crus, except for their red colour and hard stones in Fins Bois… The soils are quite different depending from the delimited area. Subject for a next post !

About 6 months from budbreak to harvest in pictures

April : budbreak time

Delicate fragance vine flower

from flower to tiny berries

june : what we call small peas

july closing of the cluster

August : the veraison  berries become translucent in the sun.

L’article From green to translucent, the veraison est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.

7′ in a season

A day who remains in the memory, May 27th 2017 : a short-term hail storm suddenly crossing the area, without any alert before, and 7′ later, 10 % of the vineyards have been injured for more of 80 %. I was in vineyards with a friend of mine who was planting new vines. It was really hot for the season, the sky was blue without any cloud. Suddenly an huge grey line appears coming from south-west very quickly and quite few minutes later, hailstone like golf balls felt on our heads. It was terrific of noise and fury.

Even if they know that nothing can be taken for granted , even in they are insured against a number of climate risks, the winegrowers deeply feel theses moments, and emotion takes a lot of time to disappear.  Many of them speak of their vines as a human being, or one of their children. « she has a cold »after a strong night-frost , « she smiles » when the  buds and leaves recover new energy, the alert far away…

« Hail and frost are in any case traumatic period » tells Nicolas.  » The work of a whole year is wiped before our eyes in a single instant without any possibility to protect or prevent ».

Then comes the time of findings and doubts :  what the vine will do ? how it feels ? and what’s about the next year ? which consequences ? And as an evidence, no harvest for this year : an happy moment which will not happen, and an other period difficult to live.

« We are enthusiasts, we do love our vineyards »  

By hearing Nicolas, it’s just like an obvious fact.  When the vine has been affected by hail, we must wait 4/5 days, without do anything even if it’s difficult, and  try to understand how « she » will react . Like a person, « she » is injured, she « curls up », thereafter,  small attempts of re-start appear, as if the vine  would say   » Shall I go or shall I stay ? » 

Damage visible one year later

As all his colleagues, Nicolas admits the discreet temper of the winegrowers.  » We don’t have the right words to speak of theses moments, but more than the financial consequence of hail, the more difficult to live for us, is to walk in the rows and see our injured vineyards. It’s often very emotional and even if we are tough guys, some of us can have tears on the eyes ». 

Spotters army

180 silver iodide diffusers  are  spread throughtout the cognac vineyards. 4 volunteers  are in charge on one diffuser. As soon as the alert is activited, the main referent, receives it on his smartphone, acknowledges the messsage and starts the diffuser. If he doesn’t answer, the alert switchs to the second person, and so on… To be efficient, the alert must be issued 6 hours before the arrival of the hail and all the  diffusers must be started at the same time. The diffuser located in an area is efficient for an area located about 10 kms farther.

A very simple system to set up : the ignition of the nozzle in the metallic pipe fired up to the sky particles of silver iodide which are be sucked in the clouds. The reaction allows to  decrease the size of the hailstones and so reduce consequently the damages.

Great thanks to Nicolas for his contribution  and disponibility on this specific subject.

L’article Hail, frost, the vine and the winegrower est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.

Looking back to the previous year, I see hard work and great satisfactions.

Deeply involved in communication and public relations since many time, living in cognac region and working in great south-west France, I thought that if cognac, famous name for a famous product, was worldwide known and appreciated, its slow elaboration, the high skill of the people involved in this success, the landscape, the heritage, and the way of life, rather remained in the shadow. 

Since a long time, I had the idea to tell these little stories day after day, season after season, in the vineyards, distillleries, cooperage… as such as the cultural life of the region, the importance of the river Charente, on which the first cognac barrels were loaded in the past centuries to, then, cross  the oceans, as the Hermione ship on board of which La Fayette came in the US.

At the beginning of 2016, I felt I was ready to start, to create a blog, and I easily found its name  : living in cognac which is the reality. Would this blog  be relevant ? I just could not go wrong, or be boring. Could I find enough time ?  Many other questions appear day after day… Finally, I decided that I should go ahead.  First a Facebook pro page, and Instagram, launched last end of may allowed me to draw a clearer outline for the blog. I worked on july and august off line. On line on september 2nd, Living in Cognac was  ready  for the crunch time of harvest, it could not feel more right.

Few months after, I could say that I enjoy much more than I could expect in my mind. I am sincerely grateful to everyone reading, following, sharing… and particularly those of you who add comments or ask questions. In Norway, UK, Australia, USA, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Nederland, Sweden, India, Canada, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Mexico, Chile, China.. and in France so. Thanks, really thanks, I am so grateful for your interest and your so nice comments.

Of course, many thanks to the winegrowers and distillers  who took time for photos and discussions, the owners of Logis de Puygaty, and many other people, happy to share their passion.

I wish you all my best for this new year.

And soon, an other post on the cooperage. Stay tuned.

L’article Telling the story of cognac region est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.

In the vineyards, the winegrowers work in the morning time, when the temperature is not too hot. Frederic explains us the trimming and weeding operations. What better than small videos to understand…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCl3x-ZJHY&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTPjaRzbhg8&feature=youtu.be

On Charente, cruise tourists,  anglo-saxon for most of them,  and fishermen, native of here, for most of them,  share peacefully the river.

A dinner with my aunt and uncle  in their summer house in  Oleron Island and a little stroll along the ocean on sunset before leave them.

Last business lunch, on the terrace of this nice restaurant in the cognac vineyards, called « L’Essille » in Bassac village. In the park car, I find a beautiful red car just beside mine.

In the vineyards, grapes are « closed » a new step.

Vineyards are beautiful at any time. Nevertheless, I believe I prefer on evening between magic light and long shadows of this period.

Holidays in an other vineyards place…

Then on the way to Tuscany, other vineyards, other amazing landscape. So much to see and to taste !

We succumbed to the spritz tradition.

Back to cognac.

No rain since end of june, vineyards are a bit thirsty.

In the meantime, the angels drink secretly in the darkness of the cellars. The natural evaporation of eau-de-vie during ageing process is called the part of the angels, la part des anges. They drink a lot in a year, quite the equivalent of 20 millions of bottles. Cheers !

L’article Back on a bright august in cognac… and Tuscany est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.