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Flowering has finished and the tiny grapes have set. We can now see the likely crop for 2021. It is hard to imagine that these will be beautiful, plump black grapes in 3 months time.
The Syrah and Grenache vineyards in Bize Minervois have a good healthy crop. Grenache is susceptible to coulure, irregular fruit set which reduces yield and there is some evidence of that this year. But overall we are happy with the crop and are counting the days until harvest.
In the meantime, there is lots to do in the vineyard. Oidium (also known as powdery mildew) is a constant threat, particulary for Grenache and Carignan so regular treatiments of sulphur are important. Weed control continues. Some weeds are fine, and are indeed inevitable in an organic vineyard. They become a problem if they compete with the vine for water or if they grow so tall they become tangled up in the grape canopy, so increasing humidity and the risk of fungal disease.
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