Well, in the space of a couple of weeks, our world has gone from one of carefree conversations, to having to engage with each other on a social, physical, and trading level we could never imagine.
This comes to you from my home office where we are hunkering down and not getting out much. The sun is shining though, so a nice walk through the vineyard is a welcome break from my laptop.
I just wanted to reach out to those that have supported us over time and those that may consider doing so, with maybe just a little something to look forward to.
As our winery is coming to the end of harvest, I’m sneaking in to check on our fermenting wines later at night after the staff have gone home. It’s driven by our response to the current virus threat where we want to have someone fit enough to finish the vintage should anybody become unable to – and, as it turns out, I don’t get distracted so much! What has been apparent wine-wise is quite obviously our reduced yields this year. We will finish up being 70% down on our usual crush, but the small glimmer of hope I see is the actual quality of what is there. Reds have a purity of fruit and structure that indicate they will be wines for the long haul. Riesling is a particular stand out as well.
And, call me crazy, but we break earth in a couple of weeks on our own little winery shed at home. History will show me to be a genius or a fool…
We are also still doing direct wine sales through the website; I won’t bore you with details here.
I think we are all resolved to the fact we’ll most likely not have much interaction over the next few months with regards to our private tastings, trade visits etc, but when we do emerge from all of this uncertainty, I’m certain we can look forward to some cracking wines.
All this of course is something to look forward to, but in the interim I urge you to think of your loved ones. Don’t go out unless absolutely essential, stop hoarding toilet paper, and wash your hands regularly.
Best regards,
The Tim Smith Wines Team.
