Snow time at Yquem

09 February 2012 Vineyard

Except for January 1985 and 1986, it hasn’t been anywhere near this cold since the terrible winter of 1956! Indeed, such snow and unrelenting cold are extremely rare in February.

Sauternes under a white mantle

A post card décor awaited us when we came to work on Monday morning. The estate was covered with a thick white mantle, with only a few piles of vine cuttings to show any trace of human presence!

The photo we put out on Twitter gave rise to some amused reactions : “Yquem is the only place I’d eat yellow snow!” (@davidlebovitz) and “Good time to switch to ice wine? Might be interesting…” (@majesticsjw)

Perched on a hill

Overlooking the surrounding region, the château affords an unusual sight: an improvised ski slope right through the vines. It is smooth and slippery, and perfectly suited to winter sports!

Solidly ensconced on his sled, this brave individual has pulverised the 15 km/h speed barrier. And the tractor drivers have never seen anything like it…

Objective: the 2022 Winter Olympics

With the right equipment, it would even have been possible to go ice skating on the château pond. In fact, this week we are considering proposing Yquem as the site for the 2022 Winter Olympics!