all we need to talk about still is ... WINE

...



Vineyards are ubiquitous in the South of France. The vines are gnarled and carefully trained to grow in a manner that maximizes the production of the best grapes, possible.




The grape harvest is past, but the vines still have leaves. Later in the season, the vines will be pruned back dramatically. I particularly like this time of year, because the grape leaves turn such beautiful colors. This isn't an exceptionally good photograph, but you can see one bright swath of red, in a vast field of golden leaves. Lovely.




It is traditional to grow a rose bush at the end of every row of grape vines. As I understand it, the roses were grown as a way of monitoring the health of the vines. The roses are apparently susceptible to the same pests and diseases as the grapes, and show symptoms before the grapes do. This practice predates the use of any chemical pesticides or insecticides, and continues to this day.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm scratching and sniffing my screen, but all I'm getting is the residual mushroom and olive scent of your former postings!

What I beautiful landscape- I wish I was there and painting something, besides walls, I mean.

Annalisa
MommaWriter said…
Ah! I noticed rose bushes at the end of rows of grapes in the Central Valley last summer and wondered what they were for. Thanks for enlightening me! Gosh, you're making me itchy for travel though!

Stacey
(WyndRyders)

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