The first buds which break through at the beginning of April, before raising any hopes about the next harvest, arouse the ancestral, but all too real fears, of spring frosts.

For the last days, indeed weeks, nature has come alive again. Ploughing has re-started, women are preparing the future vine trellising, lowering the wires which will support the foliage. Men are spreading in small groups around the vineyard to start the new plantations. Little by little, the brown-coloured vines cover themselves with little green shoots which get longer every day, forming narrower rows across the vineyard. Vine diseases and pests also come alive; it is therefore time to begin protecting the vines, an activity which ends only in the middle of August, as the harvest approaches.

In the cellars, the wine has not been resting over the winter period like the vines.

The seasons pass without any breaks. Little by little, as the barrels are topped up regularly, the wine matures. Next door, the work in the cooperage is the only sound to be heard. Barrels are already being prepared for the next vintage. A wave of excitement suddenly invades the peaceful atmosphere, as a crowd of wine professionals is welcomed in to discover the wines of the last vintage. As they taste, their kind comments, or occasional criticism, never fail to affect us.