Perfect timing

We woke up to the most gorgeous blue sky, it’s going to be another hot day. In fact, it’s been a couple of hot weeks, all over Europe I believe. For the grape pickers, who cut every bunch of grapes by hand here in Champagne, it makes for a hard days work.

The whole workforce starts early in the morning, trying to get a few early hours in before the heat of the sun bears down on them. With our windows flung wide open to let in the cool air at night, we can hear them preparing for their day as early as 4am. Last night we could hear the tractors clearing off the leaves from the vines, they do this by blowing directed air onto them, exposing the fruit so it can be easily and quickly picked.

Boxes are delivered across the vineyards by tractors , and distributed between the vines. They are left ready to be filled with buckets of cut grapes. When complete, just one of these boxes weighs 40kgs. A real team effort, and a well planned operation.

It’s then a matter of moving the now 40kg boxes, onto the back of the tractors , which will take them to the presses, to press them as quickly as possible from the time they are picked - simply perfect timing.

It’s all hot, tiring work, performed with a wonderful spirit, and a lot of organisation. It’s a marvellous thing to be able to see, and hear happening around you. With the hot weather set to break on Tuesday, with heavy rains forecast, it’s a rush to the finishing line.