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Spring In the Vineyard When the soil starts to warm up in spring the vine, after its dormant winter period, begins to awaken and the sap starts to rise. The first indications are the tiny buds which emerge from the spindly vine canes. Not all varieties budbreak at the same time and early varieties are prone to frost damage. The canes are tied back to the trellis and the ground aerated. Following budbreak, the foliage begins to develop (around October depending on the variety) and tiny green clusters start to form. In late spring and early summer the clusters break into flower and rapidly develop into embryonic clusters of fruit. In the Winery The maturing wines from the previous year are racked from barrel to barrel and topped up to replace any ullage. Summer In the Vineyard Fruit set (when the clusters expand into grapes) occurs in December and the fruit starts to develop. During this period and through January the vineyards are sprayed and some of the fruit is removed to concentrate the flavours. In the Winery In early summer the previous year‘s vintage is bottled to make room in the storage tanks for the coming vintage. In late summer, prior to the vintage, all tanks are inspected and cleaned. The winery is thoroughly scrubbed, the presses and cuvier, where the wine will be made, are scoured out. The oak casks for fermentation are topped up with water to swell the wood to make them good and tight. Autumn In the Vineyard Toward late January and early February the grapes continue to develop and ripen. A process known as veraison (when the colour starts to change) begins to take place. The ripening now starts to accelerate, the grape sugars rise and the malic acids drop. It is also a time when birds descend on the vineyards, and if they are not kept at bay they can cause serious damage foraging among the ripening grapes. At this time some foliage is removed (known as canopy management) to allow air circulation to reduce the risk of rot. Not too much is pruned however because the leaves are the catalyst that helps the grapes to ripen. In late February when the grapes have reached their optimum ripeness the harvest (vintage) begins. The harvest will continue right through until April depending on the variety and weather. In the Winery Yearold wines are given a final racking, topped up, bunged up and moved out of the way to make room for the new season‘s wine. As soon as the grapes are received from the vineyard they are processed and fermentation started. Winter In the Vineyard In late autumn the sap begins to retreat to the roots and the canes harden. During this latter period any fruit that is left on the vines is subjected to increasing cold temperatures and is also deprived of sustenance. Winemakers who have left grapes on the vines hope at this stage that the grapes, providing that the conditions are suitable, will become affected by botrytis cinerea or "noble rot.” After the botrytised grapes have been harvested, the bynow naked straggling vines are pruned back to their main stems and the process starts all over again. In the Winery With the fermentation finished the wines are fined and, depending on the style, prepared for blending and bottling or transferred to barrel for maturation. The lateharvested grapes are now put through the same process as the earlier harvested fruit. Winter is when the wines are at their most stable and with little danger of yeast infection, the fresh drinking styles are bottled and readied for shipping. | 
