Vintage in the Vale – Part 8

There’s lots of potential in this place. The must is full of potential alcohol, the staff is full of potential winemakers, and the equipment is full of potential explosions.
Mercifully, we haven’t yet seen the latter, but there have been some close calls: hoses writhing and bulging under pressure, plugs of skins blocking pumps, fermenting tanks blowing off their lids. One of my proudest memories of this vintage will simply be being alive to remember it.
The vast majority of the 2008 vintage is now behind us. I know this because of the barbecues. A barbie bears witness to every...