Well we are all back into the swing of things here at the Chai and it has been very busy in the winery!

Not as much snow as the UK but we had some snowfall in the first week of January which brought the vineyards and countryside alive again for the first time since the green and red leaves finally fell early last November.

The cold however has really set in and it has been -7ºC most mornings which is actually great for the vineyards. The freezing conditions kill off all the fungi spores that will cause various mildew problems in the forthcoming humid summer months.

There are going to be some big changes at the Chai starting on the 18th of January as the rest of the Chai (currently unused) is to be completely renovated including a new ‘Dordogne Chai’ – which will be devoted to the production and barrel ageing of red wines – an open plan office and tasting rooms on the second floor and most excitingly for JMS and I, a brand new spacious winemaker’s tasting room and wine laboratory!!

The next 3-4 months will certainly be a challenge for the Chai winemaking team here as we will be operating as normal amongst the busy builders, tradesman and architects. I will be keeping you up to date throughout the building work and with a lot of hard work we should be back on track by the end of April and open to our customers.

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