Tips from France and Weather Challenges

Dry, drier, desert followed by mist, rain and torrential storm is how I would describe July and August. Not ideal vineyard conditions, but the the French-made vines at Kapitel Zwei Wine seem to be doing just fine as you can see in the photo below.

Tips, Advice and Tricks from the Loire Valley’s Chenin Experts

Over the years I’ve had my difficulties with the French, particularly the Parisians. Thinking back to my first business trip in 1998 I distinctly remember being insulted at restaurants or as I walked around the city for my New York accent and not understanding French. Thankfully, the Loire Valley is not Paris and my French accent has improved, despite a limited vocabulary.

The Loire Valley is home to the some of the world’s best Chenin Blanc and I had the chance to speak with eight of the top producers who are growing Chenin either organically or biodynamically.

You can read my full report on Instagram, but I guess the biggest takeaway is that Chenin Blanc is a “chameleon” varietal. It can produce dry, fruity, sweet, acidic, and even sparkling wines. It can be aged in oak, stainless steel, cement, amphora and even one vineyard is testing a 400 litre glass globe. This boosted my confidence that I choose a varietal, which despite not being very established in Austria, offers a lot of possibilities.

More Carpentry and Creating a Sustainable Vineyard

A day in the life at Kapitel Zwei Wine lately is more about woodworking than winemaking. While I do a bit of weeding and binding the vines as they grow, I also find myself using a drill, saw and screws more than I expected.

For example, the second small shed at the vineyard is made of metal and was in dire need of a refresh. Since it’s protected by local regulations, I can’t tear it down and rebuild it, so I opted to paint the roof white and cover the metal with some wooden slats, which is already a major transformation. Next I need to work on the inside.

The shed will eventually house a basket grape press, which means I can press the grapes nearly immediately after they are picked. This is fairly uncommon as grapes often need to be trucked to another location for pressing. It’s rare to do it in the vineyard, but that of course this mainly possible due to the small size of the property.

I also installed a drainage system to collect the rainwater from the roof of the main hut into an old 225 litre oak barrel, which then drains into a cistern under the vineyard. My electric power tools are charged via solar energy. And finally, I’ve decided on recycled plastic poles to create the trellis system. After every fifth vine a 200 cm recycled plastic pole will be installed. Then by the end of the year I will run three rows of metal wires across the poles to support and train the vines next season.

Marketing Update

So you may recall the labels I unveiled in the last newsletter — if not check them out here. Well, it’s back to the drawing board, literally. This summer I worked with Mister Vi, a very talented New York-based artist, to sketch the little “schuppen”or hut located in the vineyard (see below). It will eventually be used for tastings, sales and small gatherings.

I love the design so much that I am going to feature it on the labels and in all of my branding — more on this soon. In fact, I think I am going to have different artists recreate the “schuppen” in their own signature artistic style every few years. (see a photo of the real hut).

What do you think? Drop me a line and maybe you’ll be the first to score some new swag.

That’s all for now as I need to get to class — my second semester started yesterday. Wish me luck.

Cheers,