While average yields were the norm, odd individual variances occurred, due on one hand to some poor fruitset on Chardonnay and on the other with a few late variety difficulties because of rain, said William Christophersen, executive officer of the Diamond Valley Viticultural Association. The only downside to an excellent vintage was that a few […]
The red wines coming from the Cowra region in 2001 are excellentùthe best ever for the majority of vineyards, according to Kylie Galvin from the Cowra Regional Vineyard Association. She said whites were also above average quality. The intense hot weather in January led to low Baumes (average 12û12.5¦) and most vineyards had to harvest […]
Preliminary Report (March):When this report was written, up to six weeks of picking was still to come from this cool region, which has many micro climates. Beringer Blass Wine Estates winemaker Matt Steel said Sauvignon Blanc looked really good this year, displaying herbaceous, kiwifruit characters, especially from the cooler upper end of the Valley. ‘Both […]
Preliminary Report (March):David Dean, general manager of McLaren Vale Winemakers Inc., said with all of the whites picked and most of the reds in, everything was looking good. ‘Colour and flavour are phenomenal,’ he said. ‘Cabernet looks stunning.’ The extreme heat in January and February didn’t cause as many problems as had been feared by […]
Preliminary Report (March):Sue Jackman, chief executive officer of the Margaret River Wine Industry Association Inc. said a near perfect ripening season has resulted in a great start to vintage with growers reporting good quality and generally good to above average crop yields. Minimal concerns have related to bird damage due to the lack of marri […]
Preliminary Report (March):Vintage commenced on 15 January in the Hunter Valley, one week earlier than the previous year. Bruce Tyrrell, president of the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association, said yields were approximately the same as in 2000. ‘They would have been 15% higher than this but for the extreme heat in mid to late January,’ Bruce […]
Preliminary Report (March):In the Coonawarra region picking started a week to 10 days earlier than usual. At the time of writing the Sauvignon Blanc harvest was finished, together with a good part of the Chardonnay. President of the Coonawarra Vignerons’ Association, Wayne Stehbens, said yields were encouragingùabove average for the first time since 1998. He […]
Preliminary Report (March):Clare Valley Winemakers Association president Andrew Hardy said the vintage at Clare was going to be ‘magnificent.’ ‘Vineyards look terrific despite the harsh summer, which led to an earlier start to picking. Everyone here is pretty upbeat — a vintage like this is just what the state needs,’ he said.