Vines running to the horizon

Press, 12 July 1979, Page 13

Vines running to the horizon

Home & Fteople

ON THE GRAPEVINE

by

Maurice Hunter

One disappointing feature of an organised tour is that the buses are not permitted to stop on the freeways. It was frustrating to see vineyards flashing by the bus ’without having the proper op portunity to stop an; photograph them.

I was therefore reducer; to “potshots” through the bus window, and I have serious doubts as to whether I have landec many good photographs But it was either that, or miss altogether. Very few Spanish vineyards were visible until we approached Madrid, and even then, most of them appeared to be simply a few rowes of vines apparently to produce wine for home consumption.

But further on, we did see extensive plantings, and I was rather intrigued by the Spanish method of pruning. It appears that they shorten the vines down to about 22cm from the ground and leave two main spurs, from which the buds develop in the growing season.

From the appearance of the vines, which were obviously very old, this practice is followed each year. They are not staked or supported in any way, and although we saw them in the early part of the growing season, it would appear they are allowed to develop into a bush. Obviously they are not pruned for mechanical picking.

The most extensive planting we saw were between Barcelona and the border in Spanish Catalan, where we drove for miles and miles and miles, vineyards stretching as far as we could see on either side.

The plantings continued in a similar way on the French side of the border, all through French Catalan, until we reached the Cote du Rhone, the Chat-

eau Neuf du Pape area. At the hotel in Cavaillon, we had our first taste of a Cote du Rhone wine, which was obtained for a modest $7. The superiority of the French wine was immediately apparent. We were told ’on the way through that the French are very worried that Spain is about to enter the E.E.C. This is now regarded, from all sides, as almost a fait accompli. The French feel that as soon as this happens Spain will flood the market with cheap Spanish wines to the detriment of their French counterparts. I find this hard to believe. Just as there will always be a market for cheap wines, there will always be an even better market for good wine. Unless the Spaniards can lift the general quality I don’t think the French have so very much to fear.

Some of the smaller

French wine makers, unfortunately, may go under; but most of them, I believe, will retain their market. From Cavaillon we went to Nice, and there we found a similar situation to the Champs Elysees in Paris. There are certain

areas in certain towns where it is much more expensive to buy wines than perhaps two or three blocks away. We found this on the Promenade des Anglais. The English are accredited with having developed Nice as a holiday resort, and therefore the promenade along the sea-

front is named after them. Here we found that < carafe of house wine — enough for two glasses — cost $1.50; and if yoi weren’t in the mood foi wine, a stubby of bee: cost $2. Similarly at Cannes, wc were charged $4 for th, privilege of two cups o tea at a sea-front cafe. Cannes is a fascinating place. The population o 100,000 people live ir apartments — or studios as they are called locally — 20 or 30 storeys high and of varying design: and shapes. If you have the od< $200,000 you may bu; one of these apartments 6 about 19sq. m, comprising a living room, two bed rooms, a kitchen, and < bathroom. As well, yoi need about $500,000 fo one of the floating palace: we saw in the harbour and, of course, you mus have the means to suppor both. In Nice we were accom

a MAURICE HUNTER continues with his European — diary. >u gj. modated in the Hotel Busby. As far as I could discover, Mr Busby was . no relation of the father of the New Zealand wine industry, but the building had at one stage been Mr ‘s Busby’s mansion, and was ? now converted into a in hotel. ,S; The proprietors, I think, / had been a little overcome by the wealth and luxury surrounding them, because they charged $3.50 for a id 375 ml bottle of very ordiiy nary white. of This shocked us a little, tg We were rather shocked d- again, when the knife and a fork that we had used for >u our entree was removed or from the plate and placed ss on the table so that we ir, could cope with the main st course. rt I am quite sure that Mr Busby would never have n- approved of that.