Every September at La Despensa we try to persuade the vines to take their time. It’s about the only thing in Colchagua that we’d like to slow down. After a quiet winter, the grass is up, the garden needs attention and we have guest rooms to open again. It’s my favourite time of year.
We leave the pruning until early September. A little delay in budbreak can make all the difference if we get a late frost: a bud that hasn’t opened yet stands a better chance than a tender green shoot. Once the first leaves open, it’s worth getting down to their level. From the end of the row you’d hardly know there was anything there.
The weeds, unfortunately, need no encouragement. In an organic vineyard, keeping them in check is one job we never quite finish. If you’re looking at vineyards for sale in Chile, walk between the rows with the person who looks after them. Ask what they’ve been working on this week. I’d do the same when visiting farms for sale in Chile: you’ll learn more in that half-hour than you will from a tidy set of photographs.
Meanwhile, in the cellar, there’s the wine we made this past autumn. The reds have been through malolactic fermentation over winter, and when we taste them now we start to get a sense of what the vintage might become. I like having two harvests that close together: the first few leaves of the next harvest outside the door and the last one in my glass.
We close the accommodation over winter, so spring means getting the rooms and gardens ready again. The roses along the winery wall are doing their bit without much help from us. It’s warm enough to eat outside, but by the time you head home after dinner you’re glad you brought a jumper.
Somewhere between the pruning and the first bookings, we catch up with friends. Sometimes it’s lunch at a restaurant in the valley; other times it’s dinner at somebody’s house. An afternoon when nobody has to rush back for a tasting is a fine thing. By the end of November we’re into the summer rhythm again, with regular tours, tastings and guests staying at La Despensa.
Late November is also when I’d start heading farther south. The weather in Patagonia tends to settle a little and the days are getting long. If you’re combining a trip with a look at property, our Patagonia Chile real estate guide is a good place to start. As for me, give me one more evening here in Colchagua. When the sky goes that colour over the rows, even the weeds can wait until morning.
