Let’s Vendange!

It’s been an eventful summer at Domaine Mirabeau, from welcoming holiday guests (book your own stay at Domaine Mirabeau) to influencers and business partners from around the globe to dealing with drought and then thunderstorms. And we’re delighted to have made a start on this year’s harvest!

Updates from the Farm

The famous Provençal summer also means dry spells. This year has been particularly bad, so water restrictions have been implemented. Interesting to note that watering new plants is allowed (manually).

To reduce our impact, we’ve uprooted the ‘potager’ as growing veggies demand more water, and this part of the farm is not essential to our business. The plants were gobbled up enthusiastically by our menagerie.

The alpacas got their annual ‘short-back-and-sides’ and then our team faced the challenges of repairing damage from intense thunderstorms. When it rains in Provence, it really rains! We do hope for more consistent rain after the harvest. It’s times like this when we really notice the positive effects of having organic matter in the soil. Bare soil no longer has the capacity to retain water and erodes very quickly.

Hand Harvesting our Parcel of ‘Rolle’

Considering the last two unsuccessful harvests due to hail/frost damage in 2020 and then the fires last year, we are beyond excited to have begun the vendange.

Provence Rosé is made from red grapes, but producers are permitted to include in a small amount of Rolle (Vermentino) in the blend. A 4am-start ensures the grapes are cool for fermentation, and this hand harvesting is a fun exercise having our office and domaine teams working alongside each other.

Harvest Lunch for our Team

The Rolle harvest went according to plan, and we’re just about ready for the larger parcels to be machine harvested. Naturally a lunch to celebrate our group effort is accompanied by a glass (or two!) of our delicious Rosé. Santé et merci !

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