Bated breath in Bordeaux

The early signs are promising for this year's crop at Chateau Teyssier

LAST UPDATED AT 09:40 ON Thu 9 Oct 2008

The vendage has started in Bordeaux, the world's finest wine growing region. For the Bordelaise every year is a great year - for the press, who do not really like Bordeaux (too arrogant, French etc), a shower means that disaster looms. The reality is that the quality of the harvest is determined by what has happened during the entire growing season. Rain during the harvest, although not much fun for picking grapes, does not really make a great deal of difference, unless there is torrential rain for a week or so.

The 2008 growing season in Bordeaux is late, and the flowering was not that successful so the quantities produced will be smaller than average – in theory, good for the quality. The smaller the harvest, the more concentrated the grapes and the better the wine. The lateness of the harvest is more of a risk as the challenge is to ensure optimum ripeness.

The white grapes in Bordeaux have already been picked, as they ripen 2-3 weeks earlier than the red. The quantity was between 50 to 75 per cent of the 2007 harvest - the quality will be above average. Bordeaux, though, is really about the red grape harvest.

To bring you up to the minute information I have been in touch with my friend,  Jonathan Maltus of Chateau Teyssier, who has 47 hectares (a lot) of vines in St Emilion and makes the critically acclaimed Le Dome.

Jonathan is a perfectionist and normally gets it right. He started picking his red grapes this last Monday as the acidity and pH in the grapes were in harmony. He is expecting sugar/alcohol levels of 13 to 13.5 per cent which sounds just about right.

Jonathan has all his grapes picked by hand; once the grapes arrive at the winery they are sorted on moving 'table de triage' to discard any unripe or rotten grapes. As much as 20 per cent are discarded; another reason why good producers now barely ever make bad wine.

The verdict so far: the 2008 harvest is looking promising. It will be another few weeks, though, before the quality can be accurately determined... watch this space. ·