Quite times

It is that time of year where the days are getting cold, and the nights long. It is one of my favourite times of year, as I always regard it as the start of the next vintage. Yes I know we have about 8 months to go before we harvest any grapes for the 2011 vintage. But, I believe harvest starts as pruning, as that is when we start preparing the quality for the vintage.

Autumn is also the time of year where wine producers scour the planet, looking for new markets, and maintaining old ones. This is no easy feat, as the world economy very jittery. The USA seems to be buying, and there have been some nice developments in China.

Another activity that takes place this time of year is a Wine Festival called the Wacky Wine Weekend. This takes place annually in Robertson on the first weekend in June. It is a festival with a difference, as it is completely decentralised. All activities take place on a different farm, so there are over 50 different venues. Each winery is in charge of its own activities, and each tries to outdo each other. The festival attracts about 18 000 people, with is great as June is normally a quite time of year as far as tourism goes.

Excelsior will give visitors the opportunity to blend, bottle and label their own bottle of wine.