After fruit is picked
The autumn colors appear –
To herald the wine
The grape harvest is well under way – every bump in the road has dislodged bunches from the groaning trailers pulled behind the tiny tractors.
Already the vine leaves are turning from the vibrant greens to the elaborate colours of the autumn – but this is soon followed by their tumbling by the ton to form crispy crunchy carpets – then stark twigs waiting to be culled for barbecue fuel.
All this announces the immanent new wines to be created and tasted in a few weeks and then the long process of turning the paridis and primeur to the plonks or prestige bottles of next summer.