Tuscany is emerald green. The hedgerows are hazy with biancospino and the hillsides have splashes of colour with apple, almond and cherry trees all in bloom. Primroses and wild violets nestle together on the banks and soon there will be purple irises along every wall and the yellow ginestra in May and then summer will be upon us. But the green of a Tuscan spring is beyond description.

For the time being, in spite of the floral explosion, the vineyard is still dormant. We have hand-hoed each rootstock and turned the earth over and we await the first signs of the new growing season. Last year we had budbreak on 1^st April but this year it looks as if it will be nearly a month later although we have  had much less snow and infinitely less rigid temperatures than in 2010.

There’s a saying here : “Pasqua venga alta o venga bassa, vien con la foglia e con la frasca.”  Whether Easter falls early or late in the calendar year (literally high alta, or low bassa) it comes when the plants are all in full vegetation (with leaves foglia and boughs frasca). This year Easter Sunday is April 24^th which is about as late as it can be. The last time Easter was this late was in 1943 and it will not happen again until 2038. So once more, I have had confirmation of the old gimmers’ wisdom, we are in the wake of the March moon, Easter is late and the vineyard and wild asparagus are all “in dietro.”

I am taking advantage of all the blossom to get in some nose practise. We were advised to do this as part of our preparation as sommeliers and so springtime always has me sniffing wildly and trying to memorise the essence of each blossom.

For more ancient wisdom and a precise definition of old gimmer, please see:

http://www.ilpalazzone.mikelee.nyc/news/una-rondine-non-fa-la-primavera/