In this corker of a summer (a very apt expression for a vineyard!), the rows of vines act like miniature green canyons, trapping the heat among the leaves and shoots – so much so that we recently recorded two consecutive days of temperatures above 35 degrees! What this all means for the vines is that, having started the season two weeks ahead with an early budburst, we now find ourselves even further in advance.

A bountiful flowering period (in textbook conditions) produced a very healthy fruit set which in record time had grown into bunches of peppercorn sized berries. This is a significant moment for managing the vine canopy and the last few days has seen the vineyard team up and down the rows, stripping away a small percentage of leaves around the fruit – a vital task to help mitigate any disease encroaching on the bunches by improving air flow and exposing the fruit in a controlled way to direct sunlight.

One of the classic primers on viticulture is called ‘Sunlight into Wine’ and this year we are witnessing that extraordinary transformation on virtually a daily basis. 2018 is regarded as one of the finest years for UK wines….could 2025 be (literally) hot on its heels?