This week has passed by in a blur of activity. As well as the inevitable hubbub that is the table de tri (sorting table), there are the first ferments to look after, we have been doing the assemblage of the 2007 reds and the winemaker has been making the customary visits to the vineyards to inspect the quality of the fruit and estimate how long before it is ripe. The winery has been cleaned to sparkling point and everyone is holding their breath, teetering on the brink and preparing for the next rush of fruit.

In parting, I would like to leave you with an update on the moustache competition. While it is early days, those involved have been sorted into two groups. There are those who will be able to shave a week before the end of the challenge and still have a decent moustache; and those who are going to cultivate theirs with all the style and sophistication that a French moustache (or a moustache grown in France) deserves.