The magic of bud break

Bud break, the year?s most eagerly awaited premiere

It was during our regular walks in the vineyards in early March that we felt a familiar sensation, that nervous tinge that usually precedes the greatest moments. Nothing seemed to reveal it before our eyes, but we knew that the crucial moment ?bud break? was imminent.

We also knew that the clue was on our feet, on the ground. More specifically, on the temperature of the soil under our shoes. Slowly, the clay-limestone layer of the vineyard was gradually warming up. Finally, almost by surprise, the dormant sap inside the vines? ligneous trunk became active.

Soon, that living liquid emerged from the incisions made in the shoots during winter pruning. Shiny tears came into view and quickly transformed themselves into new buds that swelled with the first spring sun rays.

One day we would like to install a fixed camera to monitor the arms of a vine, recording their development, witnessing such a small miracle. Later on we would watch these changes at full speed: buds swelling and bursting, growing into new shoots covered with a fine layer of fluff, sprouting in an explosion of tender greenery.

For the time being, we are happy to enjoy these pictures taken by our team in the vicinity of Elciego (Rioja Alavesa) and in the vineyard that Muriel Wines has recently purchased on the foothills of the Yerga Mountain, on the eastern end of La Rioja.

March 6 in Rioja Alta