The vintner's year – May

North America seems to have enjoyed a much more favourable start to the year than Europe. (See this thread on our Members' forum, for example.) Alder Yarrow will be reporting on west coast vineyards next week while Jim Law of Linden sends this latest monthly report from Virginia.

The busy season in the vineyard has started. The cellar has been abandoned as we head for the hills. All hands are on the vines. Quite literally. In a typical growing season (May through August) a vine is touched at least 12 different times. Handwork includes suckering, shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf...