Hi there
Gosh, doesn't time fly when you're having fun? Here we are in the height of summer and the really exciting news is that .... I can walk! It's been about 6 weeks now and I can motor along pretty jolly well- I might even need another pair of shoes soon. There have been a few bumps along the way, but generally I'm a pretty brave soldier when I fall over, and just get up again, keep calm, and carry on.
And the news from my wine empire is that.... it now exists! Daddy has 5,000 bottles of Rosè and two red Ploussard, one from Mesnay (AOC Arbois) and one from Pupillin (AOC Arbois Pupillin). GP can confirm that the final fermentation has worked well and the wine is very acceptable, particularly given that it is Daddy's first year and he had to accept the vines as they were in February 2009.
More important is how the wine is going down locally as most Vin du Jura is drunk here. And the short answer is: very well indeed! Daddy has sold over 20 cases in his first month and the feedback has been particularly good from those in the know. Not for nothing did Daddy go through 2 years at University becoming an oeneologist, with a particular strength in blending, use of oak, control of fermentation etc, quite apart from vine husbandry in all its glory. Piece of info: Louis Pasteur had part of his career in Arbois and was instrumental in identifying the cause and treatment of, in particular, the vine disease Odium, which has regrettably struck Daddy's vines in Pupillin -similar to mildew. It has affected both the organic and non-organic growers and will hopefully not be as disastrous as first thought-potentially the loss of 1,000 bottles plus.
What, I hear you ask, about the white wine (savagnin and chardonnay) and the trousseau? Well that has now also fully fermented and will be bottled in a couple of weeks giving a total 2009 production of just under 10,000 bottles with some in reserve for Vin Jaune and Macvin when the qualifying period of ageing has arrived. Certainly the white wine will extend the current range, despite the fact that the Pupillin Red has got into the list of top French wines (under 8 euros)http://www.larvf.com/,guides-rvf-2010,10408,1109564.asp, and a red about to be bottled will appear in the next edition of Cuisine et Vins de France http://www.cuisineetvinsdefrance.com/. So Domaine Hughes Beguet is very much on the map and, to prove it, above is a picture (taken on patio) of the first three bottles with 3 or more to come. You will note the labels which I think look pretty impressive and which are individually tailored to the wine type with differing coloured bottles for the red, white, and rosè. I was at a village fete/market on Tuesday where Daddy sells his wines and the village has a communal BBQ, and the HB labels looked by far the best of 3 available and sold very well to wash down the pork chops, sausages and trout! I particularly liked the acrobats who seemed determined to kill themselves most of the evening, but surprisingly didn't.
August/early September is when we wait for the grapes to fill out, change colour, gain sugar, (and hopefully avoid disease and hail) and the next really physical task will be the harvest or Vendanges. Last year it started on 12 September, but it probably won't be until the 18th or possibly even the 25th because the weather has not been as kind this year. I hope that most of Daddy's friends will come back to help - they had a good time last year and can now drink the "fruit of their labours" then.
GP and Granny are here in France at the moment but GP seems to have spent most of his time providing his opinion on the various blends. Funny how indecisive he has become, always seeming to need another glass "jusht to make shure...."! 
Bisous from Basti XXX
