Vintage Reports, Years: 2003
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2003 vintage report for Mornington Peninsula (Victoria)
Mornington Peninsula victoria Vintage started on 4 March, which was about normal for the Mornington Peninsula. Yield was below average but it was a significant increase on 2002, which was a very poor year because of an extended wet flowering period. This year was a more normal year but some yields were still 20% below […]
2003 vintage report for Yarra Valley (Victoria)
Vintage started on 25 February in perfect warm, dry conditions. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier for sparkling wine came off in excellent condition, however some quick decisions on picking dates were required as fruit ripened rapidly. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for table wine followed very quickly, with good flavours in all varieties. Some […]
2003 vintage report for Wrattonbully (South Australia)
Wrattonbully experienced a season that had a dry start with a few small frosts causing minimum damage, leading into a warm to hot summer period until the end of February, finishing with a cool March and temperate April. Heat degree days were very close to the long term average (1,507) at 1,484. This was a […]
2003 vintage report for Tasmania
Yield levels were normal this year despite the summer drought. The transition between sparkling harvest and still wine harvest was short. Vintage was early as the hot summer had advanced ripening. Winter 2002 was warmer than average and July saw the lowest rainfall on record in the east. August 2002 showed slightly warmer maximum temperatures […]
2003 vintage report for Riverina (New South Wales)
Winegrape production in the Riverina is estimated to be just under 200,000 tonnes, a 13% decrease from last year’s 230,000 and broadly in line with winemaker expectations. White tonnages were approximately 17% down on 2002 while while reds were down 11%. The decrease in total tonnage was due in part to a long, hot growing […]
2003 vintage report for Riverland (South Australia)
Vintage began in late January, which was about average although earlier than 2002. Yields decreased in the order of 20% from the average across all varieties and 30% below the record yield of 2002. One of the main reasons for the yield reduction was the poor flowering and fruitset during late spring 2002. This particular […]
2003 vintage report for Perth Hills (Western Australia)
A very hot, dry summer was experienced in the Perth Hills, with little rain. This led to an unusual season, especially around ripening, with many growers experiencing uneven ripening. Bird damage was bad for growers along the scarp in the early varieties at veraison, and many netted earlier than usual. This was followed by unusually […]
2003 vintage report for Pericoota (New South Wales)
The winter finished dry, the spring finished dry, the summer finished dry and the autumn started dry. Add to this hot, windy days throughout spring and summer and the local growers have had a testing season. To balance out the hot days, nights seemed to be cooler than normal, relieving some stress on the vines. […]
2003 vintage report for Padthaway (South Australia)
The season began with a wet July followed by a cold, dry August with 10 to 12 frosts. Budburst was a little later than 2002 but quite even. September was reasonably cool, giving good, steady, early growth. Bunch numbers, particularly in red varieties, were again down. Good weather during flowering saw even set in all […]
2003 vintage report for Orange (New South Wales)
Justin Byrne, President of the Orange Region Vignerons Association, said the warm, dry conditions in spring and summer characterised what was in general a difficult growing season. The major plus of the season was the very low incidence of disease through the growing season. Vintage started on 15 February, an early start particularly for those […]
2003 vintage report for Murray Darling (NSW/Victoria)
Common with many parts of Australia, the Murray Valley recorded significant decreases in yields with many growers reporting around 14 t/ha for premium red varieties. Premium whites, principally Chardonnay, came in at around 22 t/ha. The end result was total production for the Murray Valley of about 340,000 tonnes, although this estimate is yet to […]
2003 vintage report for Upper Goulburn (Victoria)
The GI Upper Goulburn is an interim determination awaiting final approval and is the new name for the region previously known as Central Victorian High Country. The vintage was strongly affected by the very high summer temperatures throughout the region. Where water catchment levels allowed virtually normal irrigation regimes to be maintained, crop levels were […]
2003 vintage report for Hilltops (New South Wales)
Lower than normal yields resulted from the 2003 harvest due to the unseasonable dry conditions during the entire growing season. Limited water supply to most vineyards did not allow irrigation systems to fully supplement moisture levels. Some dry land crops resulted in very poor yields. Fruit quality was as usual high, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz […]
2003 vintage report for Henty (Victoria)
Budburst began in a solid manner, albeit a little later than usual. Bunch numbers were low but the absence of frost balanced the levels of optimism. As a warm spring progressed, vines made up lost ground quickly. Unfortunately, flowering was dominated by a 10-day cold snap. This affected early flowering varieties that were already hampered […]
2003 vintage report for Hunter Valley (New South Wales)
The Hunter Valley vintage commenced on 16 January, which is early for the region. With the worst recorded drought since 1902, yields were destined to be lower than usual. Typically, irrigated vineyards were down by 25% with dry farmed areas down significantly more in some instances. Across the board, the Hunter was down an estimated […]
2003 vintage report for Grampians (Victoria)
Following fairly good spring weather for budburst and flowering, summer came on hot and fast. The hot and dry weather caused some concern that the fruit would sweeten rapidly and result in a significantly early harvest. Sugar levels did rise quickly initially then levelled out following timely rain, allowing the colour and flavour levels to […]
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