CARD IMAGE GALLERY

Charles Palmer Vineyards ❖ Winchelsea ❖ East Sussex ❖ England ❖ 11 October 2021 ❖ 2:54pm ❖ 2 Weeks before Harvest In June 2021, I began helping out at nearby Charles Palmer Vineyards. The work started as daily physical labour, moving wires, tucking or removing errant vines, and general tending the entire 35 acres. I knew nothing of wine nor vineyards, but with observation and experience, I learned. Vineyard work can be challenging. There are many factors that can affect the growth, maturation, and eventual harvest of the grapes. A late frost can hinder or even prevent budburst. Diseases may occur, mold, mildew, and various hungry animals can wreak havoc in the vineyard. Weather can help, hinder, or destroy an entire year's crop. This photo was taken close to harvest 2021. Because I spent four months doing vineyard work, I had the privilege of watching the progress of grape growth over time. It was exciting and rewarding to see the full mature grapes, seeming to glow in the autumnal sun, as if it were my own garden! Each time I see this, I fondly recall that initial few months in the vineyard. There is a particular scent that clings to clothing worn during such work; not unpleasant, yet very distinctive. There were days the wind and rain cut the workday short. Many afternoons we would watch with trepidation as distant looming storm clouds grew ever-closer, yet most of the time they stopped at the next valley, raining down heavy droplets, occasional hail, and lots of lightning, leaving us untouched under the warm sunshine. Although I have since captured countless photos of the vineyard since that time, this one remains amongst my favourites. Under most circumstances, a completely clear blue sky can make for dull photos, but here it merely acts as a background for the various shades of green of the vines and grass, with the red tones of stems adding colour contrast.