As we await the start to the harvest at Domaine Sainte Rose, the winery continues to be a hive of activity with the bottling of a selection of 2018 still wines taking place this week. Furthermore, the team has been busy tasting the sparkling base wines from the 2018 vintage to carefully determine the dosage required.

Out in the vineyards, veraison is in full swing, markedly so in the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir varieties. Veraison heralds the beginning of the ripening cycle, where the vines concentrate their energy in producing sugar, aromas, flavours and tannins, rather than vegetation. It can be detected in the white grapes when 50% of the berries are becoming more translucent, and in the red varieties once the berries have turned from green to red.

The harvest will commence next week, focussing on picking Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which will provide the base for the 2019 method traditional sparkling wines.