Spring Comes to the Vineyards.....

     It seems appropriate to be writing this on the first day of Spring.  The wild flowers this year have been spectacular, the best show of color we've seen since we've been coming here.  The hillsides and roadways are bursting forth with every color of the spectrum.  The blossoms on the almond trees have come and gone, and now the vineyards are beginning to re-awaken.

     We've been following the progress in the vineyards here at the Lemon Tree.  When we arrived three weeks ago, the vineyards had just been pruned of their spindly shoots from last year, but the undergrowth was still quite thick.....

     A neighbor has since come through with a roto-tiller and cleaned up between rows, now the vineyards looks like this.....
 

     

     In addition to roto-tilling, the neighbor sowed two rows of fava bean seeds, and the bean plants have thrived.....

                                           

   

     But maybe the most exciting change in the vineyards is that "bud break" has taken place over the last few days.....

    

     The vines are coming alive from their winter dormancy, and by September will be full of Nerello Mascalese grape clusters.  The grapes will be used to produce the delicious Etna rosso wine, which has been produced here for centuries, mostly by locals for their own enjoyment.  And it provides us with yet another reason why we are captivated by this amazing place.