Cairn building is just the start!!!
Sometimes you just need to get outside, go for a walk, breathe fresh sea air and laugh out aloud. I class myself as a thalassophile, I suspect in another life I would have been a halophile, but for now, I’m content to be in proximity to one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. Being by the sea kickstarts and fires off my creative juices, indeed it is often the catalyst for something miraculous.
The week started off, and ended well, with the usual building and paperwork challenges. The distillery building and bottling plant are nearly ready for their new roof, and we are now awaiting news on some #panneauxsandwich
As the weather has thankfully changed i.e. we have rain… our evenings have been spent with Patricia (our copper alembic), creating both gin and peach recipes.
This was largely a process of trial and error, but thanks to a few tips from #wheresmick and #wheresstu, we were able to get Patricia #rockingandrolling! Fortunately, we live in Brittany, France which means there is an abundance of unusual botanical plants that we can add to our recipes to make them unique! We particularly liked this rock fuellled gin inspired by Lagurus Ovatus aka rabbit tail grass aka to be served with a garnish of rabbit tail grass, we just need to find a supporting tonic (something fig based could be good)!
The smell of petrichor has been addictive all week and as I compose this #barrelandvine update, I can hear the sounds of thunder rolling across the valley. The summer drought has been a challenge for our vines and I am sure we will lose some, however, currently, the vines are looking happy. The rain is encouraging them to perk up and put on a bit more girth before the Autumn rest.
We think the vines look amazing at sunset!
When we walk the vines (every night), we sing and talk to each of them. We take deep breaths enjoying the greenness of the air. They have worked so hard to get to this point, we are extremely proud of them. Hopefully, we will be rewarded with a great growing season next year.
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In preparation for next year we need to start prepping the site for official visits. This means wrought iron tables and chairs for the avenues (so that guests can enjoy a coffee/tea/wine and nibbles during their visit to the vineyard). It also means renovating our vintage bread oven, which we hope might be the catalyst to some special #pizza nights during the #vendange.
This oven could well be over 150 years old, and it looks awesome today! The granite we have in Brittany is so characterful. We have zebra granite and the phenomenal rose granite from the north coast. I can see why people are petrophiles, the touch and feel of them is very special.
On our trip to the Ile de Brehat, we were inspired by the rose granite and after handling a few egg shaped specimens, we’ve come up with a very special way of introducing them to our distillery. As such, we have samples currently winging their way to stonemasons to see if they can help realise this aspiration.
So… where are we???
Currently right bang in the middle of a crazy project to launch a vineyard and distillery.
How are we feeling???
Every day we are outside, it feels as though we are making progress
Are we nearly there yet???
Still waiting on paperwork (see previous blogs)
What do we wish we could change???
The number of hours in a day, there are not enough!!!
Are we happy???
Every day we work together, we smile throughout…
What next???
Hopefully a nice shiny sign welcoming guests and visitors to #uncoindeparadis
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