2007 vintage

The harvest has already commenced. Went on a walk in the sun yesterday afternoon to the vineyards and back. Despite the wet summer, the grapes seem to be doing relatively well, with some of the early ripeners already looking ready to pick. The extremely sunny April we had caused the grape buds to flower early, meaning that the vegetation period, in turn, began unusually early. However, it would be premature to make any hard and fast predictions as regards the vintage, as a wash-out over the coming weeks could cause rot to set in. Nevertheless, the vintage is already looking like one of the earliest on record. Harvests starting in August - another symptom of climate change? The grapes in the picture opposite are "Roter Gutedel", a local speciality which, despite the name, is the source of simple white wines for everyday consumption. My Swiss uncle ordered this at the Römischer Hof in Blansingen at Easter 2004 mistakenly thinking it was a red wine.