The real test

This time of year the vine plants confront their biggest challenge. Are they suitable for Finnish atmosphere? The days between Christmas and new year where quite cold. The coldest day was last saturday when temperature went to -27 degrees in Helsinki area. (60 degrees northern lattitude)

Siegerrebe and Solaris ain´t the best polar variety but with good winter protection they should survive. The good thing about the freeze is that bugs, fungus etc. harmfull vine plant enemies won´t party either. The only curse may be rabbits. The "city rabbits" have become nuisance in southern Finland. Same way as they have conquered Australia, Helsinki has become their lastest target. City is even hunting rabbits with tamed ferrets to control their birth. Spring time I will have to make some sort of fence around my vines just to make sure that only fruits are the part of vines that are eaten.

I got a lovely present from my wife few days ago. When I can´t do anything on my vine yard, she gave me The Wine Tasting Workbook by Jancis Robinson. Book has already given me many ideas and directions how to affect to the taste of my future wines. I´ll write about it later. The book is great in every way: It is very systematic, you understand it even if you a amateur as I´m and it reminds you about the basic idea of whole wine culture: to drink and enjoy it.

It is still apprx. 4 monts until spring time is here so I´ll be the champion of wine tasting before I get to garden my vines again.