I have just discovered a great old wine book published in 1976 called Wine and wine making by Keith Hicks. The photos in the book are great and its a really useful guide for the home wine maker. There are some amazing recipes including making wine from tree sap and even coffee! Ugh! Maybe for the brave?
Just before Christmas on a beautiful day with frost sitting on the walls and foliage in South London, I delivered 30 vines to St Georges hospital in Tooting. It will be very exciting to see a hospital vineyard establishing itself for patients and staff to enjoy.
I was surprised to learn that in 1443, Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, founded the Hospices de Beaure and endowed the foundation with vineyards to provide it with income. Other charitable burgundians followed his example, and today, more than 500 years later, the hospital costs are still covered by revenue from the wine. Every year, traditionally on the third Sunday in November, the wine is sold at auction. (Source Peter Mayle, Bon Appetit!)
Its incredible that the French have devised this innovative method of supporting charitable foundations and here at the UWC we would love to hear from organisations with socially useful aims, if they would like to set up vineyards and use the wine in future years for auctioning, selling as fundraising, etc. Who nows where this could lead and it would be exciting to give it a go!
Happy New Year and its great to be alive in 2010 and marvelling at the beautiful blue sky on this perfect London day. Time to put another log on the fire. All the best for the New Year.