BAM!

20 minutes and that was it! BAM! We didn’t really see it coming except for the ominous black clouds that were approaching from the north-west but hey, we’re still in May and that’s not really the usual time for severe thunderstorms here…

We were hit by a hailstorm last Tuesday, pretty badly and the damage is severe. Some vineyards are worse than others but almost all of them have at least some damage. In some of the vineyards, there won’t be any harvest at all this year.

The outlook is worrying, knowing that summer is only about to begin and there are many more thunderstorms to come.

Driving through the vineyards after the storm and seeing all the damage, I (once more) thought how much it helps to watch our grandfathers deal with it. They have seen all kinds of troubles and turmoils during their many years as winegrowers and they have developed a certain equanimity that helped them to keep going in terrible situations like this. They believe and know that there are better years and worse years, it’s giving and taking and the only way to go is forward. Let’s take a deep breath and do what needs to be done. There will be better times for sure!