Wine making

We are wine making in France. Pumpjack is a trained Oenologist, or Oenologue if you are in France. He makes wine. The perfect man. We’ve moved to France as he wants to make wine here. Follow our journey from trying to buy a vineyard to renting instead. From growing grapes to making wine.

The vendage is what France calls the grape harvest that makes wines. Join in at Pumpjack & Piddlewick

A few years ago, due to a bad experience, I said, ‘never again’. And there is a saying ‘never say never again’. How very true. Fast forward to now and I find myself once again undertaking The Vendange. The vendange is a French term for the grape harvest here inRead More →

when to harvest the grapes is a tricky thing to decide - let's delve at PumpjackPiddlewick

As we head into August, it’s time to start testing the grapes in earnest to determine and decide when grapes might be ready to be picked. But how do you know when to harvest the grapes?  There are a number of factors, and various tests. On a simplistic level, it’sRead More →

summer in the vineyard at Pumpjack Piddlewick

Summer in the vines means they are all tucked in. Ready to bask like a tanning guru on a beach towel in the summer sun. Job done. (Hoooo-Ray!!) The next couple months the currently tiny grapes will grow and grow (hopefully) and by late August or September reach their fruitionRead More →

Tucking in the vines with Pumpjack Piddlewick

In the vines, in the vines, where the sun certainly shines. We are now in full swing of tucking in the vines. I love the picture these words create. It always makes me think of tucking the vines in to bed for the night.  And, in a way, it isRead More →