Summer has finally arrived in Burgundy. After a somewhat dreary June the past month has been filled with long and hot summer days. Over the span of three weeks the flowering of the vines was completed, the grapes began to form, and we now have what looks like the beginning of a beautiful harvest, fingers crossed. Of course we still have a long way to go until harvest and plenty of things could still affect the development of the grapes but it certainly appears to be promising thus far.
Things around Maison Harbour have been progressively picking up speed. The “cuverie” is currently in the middle of reconstruction and is looking more and more like a winery every day! We finally managed to get our water and electricity hooked up so no worries about making wine in the dark and we are preparing to lay a new cement floor in the next few weeks. Nick and his dad have been spending long days and nights taking out the old stones from the floor, digging, and analyzing all aspects of the winery plans. Never a dull moment around here luckily we have Nick’s parents around to help out, lifesavers.
Other than manual labor our days have been filled with purchasing equipment for the harvest ( vats, hoses, buckets, etc.) and completing the final paperwork in order to secure our license as winemakers. The French Douane (customs) stopped by the other day to give us a little lesson on all the forms and paperwork we need to submit each month, yikes!
As the grapes develop we are gradually receiving more offers for contracts which is both exciting and nerve racking for us both. We have not made any final decisions yet but we are getting very close. When we visit vineyards we are looking at the soil, the parcel’s exposition and contours, the health of the vines and chatting with the farmers to ensure our philosophies on are in line.
We will keep you updated with all the exciting developments so check back soon!!