Raisins in the sun

Raisin is French for 'grape' and they seem to be ripe for harvesting judging by the few we tried this morning. Normally our grapes would be collected in early October but we had lots of rain earlier this year, plus a few hail storms which is usually bad news for the fruit, and now the prolonged sunny spell has made them very juicy and sweet.

The skin on these black ones is chewy like a raisin, whereas white varieties are usually easier to digest. At any rate our local producer manages to make excellent red, white and rose wine.

After a dodgy start, it looks like 2014 may turn out to be a good vintage for Bordeaux!