Every year people ask “how’s it going back on the farm?” and “how’s it look in the vineyard this year”.

I always fall for it. I try my best. I try to estimate when we will start picking. Because the weather always looks different, every season, every year. I try to estimate how it will affect the new crop. This year winter hung around longer. At least so I thought. And spring was cool. And we didn’t have the December or January heat wave that often comes with a bang. “Harvesting will be at least two weeks late this year”. That was me on December 23. Two weeks later the red grapes had mostly turned colour (from green to red) the way they do around then. “We’ll probably be around one week later than usual this year”. That was me on January 20.

This was this morning’s picture. Picking the first grapes of 2009. You can see our team in the Guava Pinotage block, just after sunrise today. Tractor in the background, ready to take the grapes to the cellar. Once again it was in the first week of February, which is when we pick this block of vines every year. This time  it was Friday.

So much for my predictions. And all of that cool spring and summer stuff. See if I remember next year.