Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Friday 2 September 2011

2011 Loire vintage: some harvest pictures from the Cher Valley

 Picking machine harvesting Sauvignon Blanc@François Cartier's vineyards in Pouillé


Last Tuesday around Pouillé and Thesée the 2011 harvest was really getting underway with a number of picking machines out as well as teams of pickers. Despite the rain at the end of last week, the fruit was looking really good with considerably less signs of rot than had been apparent in Sancerre and Pouilly the day before. Unfortunately the forecast is not very favourable for the coming week with some rain forecast on most days. Hopefully the weather will turn out to be better than currently forecast.

Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Picking machine@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Starting to unload Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Grapes beginning to flow


Full flow


Cabernet Franc?

Côt (?) from one of the very productive clones from 1970s-80s
Pouillé: well spaced out Sauvignon Blanc

2 comments:

Luc Charlier said...

Hate those picking machines. Even worse for white wines.
Nothing to justify it ... except the need to survive !
Shame.

Jim's Loire said...

Luc. I agree picking by hand has more charm and magic. Furthermore the greatest estates all pick by hand. However, would you be able to find enough pickers to harvest all France's vineyards by hand, especially in difficult years when the grapes need to be picked quickly?