It's Always Something...

I'm in this picture somewhere. This was taken just this May while I was back in my medieval alter ego at Chateau Vieux Chevrol. We were working for 2 weeks performing le pamphrage and bourgeonage operations on thousands of grape vines on 20 hectares of land. Basically, we were removing the excess buds and cleaning the base of the vines, supressing the growth of the root graft. It's important because only 7 stems are allowed to develop and almost every grape vine grown commercially in France is grafted on a hardy wild American vine root stock.
Vieux Chevrol is located in the Lalande Pomerol regionnear Bordeaux. If you are familiar with the Lalande Pomerol, we are in Neac, not Lalande. There are two towns in Lalande Pomerol.
Vieux Chevrol is notable because they insist on traditional, natural methods in the production of their wine. All operations are done by hand and all treatments are the most natural methods available.
This is my 8th year working at Vieux Chevrol and I really enjoy the comaraderie, the work and the knowlege I aquire each time I go for 2 or three weeks.
I just found out that this year we are going to do a Vendenge Verte starting on the 15th of July...Just a week away. That is an operation where the excess bunches of grapes are removed and leaves are removed to allow air and light to reach the grapes.
The neccessity of the operation is controlled by the weather. Obviously, conditions have been very good and there are a lot of bunches of grapes and hearty foliage on the plants. Some years, it is not neccessary.
Again, it involves thousands of plants and I think we will only be 6 people.
So, again, I am going to close up shop for 2 weeks starting the 15th. I will be away from computers and television, living in the old chateau. I do have my Grundig Yachtboy Multi Band Radio!
The folks in the picture are me, Microdot, Cheryl Cook, Xeneb, Aveda and Mohammed.
(Mohammed is the guy wearing the Obama cap!)