Tuy Phong in the summer always wears a red sun that seems to burn everything. The hot winds blowing through the vast green rice fields cannot ease the harshness of this place. Stopping by a roadside vineyard to take shelter from the sun, it is surprising to know that Tuy Phong is in the off-season grape season.
The main grape season in Tuy Phong is usually in December, January and February, so this season is often called the off-season grape season. I remember about a month ago, I had the opportunity to visit a vineyard of the people in Phu Lac commune, Tuy Phong district. At that time, the grapes had just begun to sprout green fruit, the tiny grapes mixed with the green of the leaves. The grape trellis was full of small, pretty fruits. Some female farmers who were pruning the fruit in the garden said: "Come back in a month, when the grapes are ripe, you can take pictures and film as much as you want. It's so beautiful!" Time made me forget my advice, but now I accidentally came across a vineyard that was in the harvest season.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Diep in Phuoc The commune is a very hospitable vineyard owner. He is considered the most effective grape grower in this area. With only over 3 sao of land growing about 800 trees, he still harvests every crop with a profit of over a hundred million VND. Entering the charming vineyard with bunches of ripe grapes and picking a few bunches to enjoy the wonderful taste of the grapes. How delightful it is to be surrounded by bunches of grapes laden with purple, green, red, endlessly and what a sweet and interesting feeling.
No one knows when grapevines first appeared in Tuy Phong. Initially, many vineyards were planted by farmers in localities such as Phuoc The, Phu Lac, Phong Phu, Vinh Hao, Vinh Tan. However, in recent years, due to erratic weather, plant diseases and pests, grapevines are no longer the optimal choice.
Growing grapes for off-season fruit is very difficult and hard because of the erratic weather. When the grapes are about to ripen but encounter heavy rain, it is considered a failure and there is no hope of harvesting. The failure of a vineyard is different from that of other fruit trees, because it is a complete failure. Grape growers also rely a lot on luck from the weather, so the off-season grape season always fascinates people. Grape growers always live in only 8 words, but they are very long. They are: Peace, waiting, time and anxiety. Indeed, from the day of planting to the season of ripening grapes is a long journey. The days and months are as long as the time it takes to measure the rising and setting of the sun. The days and months are as long as the expectation of the harvest season. The days and months are as long as the fear of possible crop failure. Time in the soul of a grape grower is suffocating. If you know for sure that next season, the grapes will ripen and the fruit will be sweet, then the long days and months are just waiting for joy. But wondering what the season will be like, what it will be like is a great anxiety. Just look at the gardener's hands to judge the anxiety and desire in their hearts. No gardener has white, shiny hands, they are not afraid of the rain and sun early in the morning, they are not afraid of scratching their hands because of thorns, because of gravel, they just hope for a good harvest. The expectation of gardeners for generations is like that, simple but a long process. They are always worried between gain and loss, existence or elimination. That is why the grape acreage of Tuy Phong district now has only less than 10 hectares. The specialty of the sunny and windy region has gradually disappeared like that.
The vineyards in Tuy Phong are also in harvest season. Grape buyers and sellers are always busy pruning grapes. Their hands are always agile and focused on their work. Looking at each bunch of ripe, neatly pruned grapes makes me crave.
Being in the hustle and bustle of the city, but when coming to the vineyard in the season of sweet fruit, breathing the fresh air and watching the grape fields in the early morning is wonderful and refreshing. I looked around the vineyard to enjoy its beauty in the summer morning before returning. The bunches of grapes still show off their ripe colors with delicious, sweet ripe fruits and I can hear the worries and anxieties of the grape growers.
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