Well, the first question is: will they do any better than last year? If you read my blog from then you'll know it was pretty disastrous as regards the green grapes, to the extent that I eradicated the Madeleine Angevine under the carport altogether - cut it right off near ground level. It's doing OK now, thank you very much. Almost reaches the study window. I should take the hint: if it's that determined to survive I ought maybe to give it a fighting chance. We'll see. Anyhow. This year things are looking reasonably OK. On 19th August I harvested and froze 485g (after removing from the stalks) of Seigerebbe from the house-wall plant . That one's a fairly recent addition so I wasn't expecting more from it yet. On the other hand, the newly-forming fruits on all the vines in the back garden (Boskoop Glory, Seyval and Siegerebbe) for some reason seemed to give up the ghost earlier in the season. Still, it hasn't exactly been the driest, warmest or sunniest summer on record, has it? And the less said about the Pinbot Blanc the better. It's been in at least five years now, and so far there hasn't been a sign of it flowering. Grows like mad though. I imagine it's too happy. Perhaps it wants putting in more impoverished soil?
But back to the plot. For comparison, last year I picked the Siegerebbe grapes on 2nd September. So, despite the awful summer, ripening seems to be very early. Caroline said she'd heard somewhere that all sorts of fruit is doing something similar. Odd, that. Global warming? Difficult to see how.
The Black Hamburgh (in the greenhouse) is doing particularly well this year (fingers crossed). That's it in the picture at the top of this blog, taken 19th August.
The Madeleine Angevine over the front window is also looking better this year. Again, this pic was taken on 19th August.
Now here's another odd thing: given the cold and damp (OK - wet) summer, the last thing you'd expect are wasps. Mosquitos maybe, and there do seem to be plenty of those about. But not wasps. Well the grapes in this picture are now attracting worrying numbers of the little blighters. I lost them all last year (grapes, that is), so today I put some netting over them. Not ideal, I thought, and not enough to cover all the bunches. So then I had a bright idea and added a few of those white net bags with drawstrings you used to get free with a certain brand of washing powder tablet. I still have about a dozen of them. They're rather tight, but kind of work. The received wisdom seems to be that individual netting of the bunches in this way is probably the most reliable method of protection - from birds, too. But I need lots more (well, I'm hoping I will, at least in future seasons), so I'm looking at buying something similar in bulk from the internet (interNET - get it? Sorry!).Next, the Boskoop Glory on the house front wall:
The bunches are a bit patchy, but generally looking reasonable. Some ripening is definitely in progress (these are black grapes), but there are also many all-green bunches, like the ones in the next photo (like the others, taken on 19th August). That stem runs along the front of the carport. Just a temporary feature. The Boskoop Glory has been messed about a bit this year because I made space to plant two more vines near it (no photos of these). One is a Seyval , which I plan to train under the carport as a replacement for the fated (or should it perhaps be "fêted") Madeleine Angevine. Seyval is a hybrid, resistant to mildew, so stands a better chance of success (a better grape for wine, too). 
The other new planting is a recent cutting of Triomphe d'Alsace - a red-wine variety with rave reviews. And last, but not least, the Brant on the front wall. Again, it's doing reasonably well. Many bunches are ripening. But it has to share space with that new Siegerebbe which is not ideal. There's nothing else for it - I need a huge plot of ground somewhere to grow them properly - how about France?? Actually, I have applied for an allotment. If I'm very lucky, I might just get a plot by the time I retire!Here's the Brant:
Now for the big questions:
WILL THERE BE A HARVEST PARTY THIS YEAR?
IF SO, WHEN?
Well I'm determined to have a party - even if there are no grapes to pick - which there should be. It is always difficult to predict when the best time will be, because there are so many variables.
Last year I picked what there was on 15th October. I get the feeling it will be earlier than that this year. It would be awkward to have it any later as I'm due to go to China on 19th October! Well at least the day of the week and time are fixed: a Saturday afternoon. That way I get the Sunday to complete the necessary wine-starting processes.
Last year, of course, there were no green grapes to speak of, and no harvest party, as Caroline had her birthday ceilidh instead. But there were black grapes, which I dealt with single-handedly! I got four gallons of wine, the third of which I'm currently drinking.
It looks good. And it don't taste 'alf bad either (hic!). I'm just bottling it as and when I think about it. The final gallon is still in its demijohn. If your'e lucky there might be a drop left for tasting at the "do".
Cheers!
