Blue

I love this jug. I found it in a flea market in nearby Marseillan some years ago. It's obviously been used for years to dole out bouillie bordelaise. or Bordeaux mixture.

We're pretty grateful to this gloopy mixture, using it to prevent oidium and other moulds on our vines. I use it in the vegetable garden too, to treat my tomatoes and potatoes.

The efficacity of bouillie bordelaise was discovered by accident by M. Millardet, who, in the late 1880's was out walking and noticed that some vines which had been sprayed with copper sulphate did not get diseased. The head grower at Château Ducru Beaucaillou had the habit of spraying his vines to protect the grapes from theft - it made them very unpalatable. After further experimentation with the mixture the perfect solution was found and everybody began to use it.

Our vines are sprayed with BB (which is considered an organic treatment) each fortnight after the first leaves show. It's very hard work and you can be sure that we always do it on a day when rain follows swiftly to wash it all off!