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




Wednesday 10 June 2015

2015 Loire: photos of flowering in Ingrandes (AC Bourgueil) + a snail's pace

Cabernet Franc in flower at Lamé Delisle Boucard (AC Bourgueil) today
Getting towards the end of the flowering process with the nascent grapes already visible 

Until today the 2015 flowering in the Loire had been blessed with very good conditions – warm sunny days. Towards the end of last week the forecast for this week was for the fine, sunny weather to continue to at least this coming weekend. By Monday this had changed with some unsettled weather forecast for today. Unfortunately today was decidedly wet with afternoon temperatures falling by the best part of ten degrees on previous days. The weather is due to improve tomorrow with temperatures in the high 20s forecast.

The flowering in Bourgueil is well on so today's poor weather should have little effect. Whether it will have affected areas east of Tours where the flowering is less advanced remains to be seen, although one day's poor weather shouldn't matter too much, especially as it has been very dry and the earth could do with some rain.    
 
 




A snail's progress 


Although wet cold weather doesn't suit the vines, especially during flowering, it can make snails very happy as this one demonstrates busy climbing up a vertical step in the rain. 

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