Friday the 13th. A perfect day for a quality control exercise. Tasting random bottles of Lou Cayla 2012, taken from different cases to check the consistency of the closure (procork). Happy to report that all the bottles were consistent, free…
Window shopping for winery equipment We trotted off to Montpellier yesterday and spent a thoroughly enjoyable day at SITEVI, a bi-annual fair which showcases the very latest agricultural and winery equipment. This was good timing as we plan to transform…
This Friday 22nd November at 7. 30pm we’ll be pouring Lou Cayla 2012 at Bouchon et Tradition, a great little wine shop by the main road in Argeliers (next to Top Fruits and Pulsat). See you there!
Harvesting saffron at Domaine Lou Cayla We’ve done the grape harvest, now it’s time to bring in the saffron crop, using the most junior members of the team. The crocus flowers smell absolutely wonderful, of honey rather than saffron. Each…
Basket press Just to show that you don’t need high-tech equipment to make wine, here are some photos of us pressing our Syrah and Carignan. We used an old basket press, borrowed from our neighbour Didier, which is perfect for…
Celebrating the end of the 2013 harvest Last Saturday, we headed down to the Roussillon for an end of harvest party, organised by fellow MW, Justin Howard-Sneyd of Domaine of the Bee. It was a very relaxed affair with mainly…
Harvesting for our Carignan took place on a glorious sunny Sunday and it was very much a family affair. A big thank you to all our pickers and helpers, young and old!
Photos of Syrah harvest We picked our Syrah yesterday, over three weeks later than last year. The grapes were luscious and sweet and the juice was incredibly deep coloured. Here are some photos from the harvest.
How do you know when grapes are ripe? A couple of days ago, I was taking a group of American tourists round the beautiful cellars of Château St Jacques d’Albas in the Minervois when I was asked the seemingly…
…for the grapes to ripen