Just a reminder these are past newsletters:
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First newsletter of the year on possibly the first decent summery day of the year (I’m writing this on the 16th Jan).
Around this time last year I had so many red plums that I was able to make three different plum wines, a huge load of jam and a stackload of bottled plums. This is my harvest this year… |
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My large batch of plum + boysenberry wine is out the window! |
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To say this spring/summer has been a bit crap is an understatement! Late frosts, rain, wind, more rain, grey misery, snippets of searing heat, wind, more rain…and very hungry birds (almost tempted to get a cat!).
Not all fruit harvests have been bad though; golden plum played ball, currants (red + black), cherry plums are coming along and the apple, pear, blackberry and elderberry harvests are looking promising. |
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I read somewhere once, about beer brewers whom make the leap from home-brewer to having a label, find that suddenly the pressure (not fun) is on to make consistent (same tasting) brews year in year out, the joy of experimenting and happy mistakes gone. For me, the pressure is on for making consistently good wines of course, but I don’t want to trap myself into thinking I need to make the same wines every year and if I do (and I have got my faves) I would hope that people would understand seasonal variations just like how grape wine vintages differ depending on what season they had (dry, wet, bush fires, disease...speaking of which, there’s going to be a champagne shortage this year due to a disease that affected the vines overseas; hello elderflower champagne!).
Anyway, what I’m trying to say, long story short, there won’t be any plum + boysenberry wine for 2024, but I’m making up a bit of a medley using plums, boysenberries, blackcurrants and eucalyptus (yep), it’s deep and rich and possibly will not be repeated, unless of course it’s totally mind blowing! |
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Along with the wine just described; Golden Plum wine just got put into its fermenter last week as did Rhuby Red Shoes (rhubarb, red currants, strawberry and a touch of raspberry). Blackcurrant, mint + olive is on the go and cherry plum will be cracking along within the next couple of weeks. I’ll be onto the blackberries and elder berries as soon as they ripen (warmth and sunshine please Mother Nature). Then the autumn wines will begin… |
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