The growing season was very close to ideal with only a few extremely hot and windy days causing minor vine stress mid season, according to Richard Clementson, president of the New England Winegrowerrs Association. He said yields were higher than expected. Notwithstanding these higher cropping levels, the quality of both the fruit and the early […]
‘Sensational quality, the best for many years is the most common description of vintage 2002 in the Murray Valley. The unusually mild conditions and continuing improvements in viticultural practices produced record tonnages and great quality. The Murray Valley produced about 360,000 tonnes, up at least 30,000 tonnes on last year. Red varieties are expected to […]
Vintage 2002 was a year of reduced fruitset with a record, sunny dry finish. A combination of 50% normal yield, incredible clear blue skies and mild weather should create one of the great vintages. No one could have anticipated this result even as late as the end of February, because of the cold, variable start […]
Chris Pfeiffer of the Rutherglen Agricultural Society described the 2002 vintage as a different year to that experienced over the last 20 years. He said weather conditions favoured the development of grapes, and there was little disease loading. Initially the weather was cool and we enjoyed a steady ripening, he said. The weather then warmed […]
The Clare Valley vintage shows all the signs of being one of the best ever. Vintage started late in an autumn that was warmer and drier than usual. Fruit was picked in extremely good condition with higher than average Baume levels, high natural acid and wonderful flavours. Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon all looked […]
Budburst occurred in mid to late September following a relatively dry winter. A cool spell in early to mid October slowed shoot growth. Rain throughout October saw conditions conducive to downy mildew, although well targeted sprays quickly brought this disease under control. Dry and mild conditions prevailed throughout November and December, with flowering occurring in […]
Vintage was a fairly sombre affair in Wrattonbully with yields down on average by 50% on budgets and 6070% on the previous year, according to Peter Bird, president of the Wrattonbully Wine Industry Association. The drama started when spring temperatures continued through to January, Peter said. The extended spring conditions created many problems including excessive […]
The 42 local winemakers get together after each vintageusually in late Mayto taste each others wines and form an opinion on how the vintage went for the area. The consensus at the 2002 tasting was that it had been one of the best years for the Swan Valley since the great years of 1977 and […]
White winegrape yields were slightly above average but reds were below average, according to Adrian Bail, president of The Swan Hill Region Grape Growers Association. Adrian said seasonal conditions generally favoured above average crop levels but a firm commitment by growers to red quality issues ensured lower than average red yields. The weather during vintage […]
Budburst was generally earlier than normal due to mild winter conditions. Spring was relatively dry, however the area experienced some severe isolated wind and thunderstorms that caused some shoot damage to vineyards. Summer produced extremely high temperatures in the Christmas/New Year period and the area was ravaged by bushfires for some weeks, but no damage […]
Vintage started in mid February which is late for the Riverland. The yield was approximately 10% bigger than last years record harvest. A relatively cool spring and mild summer resulted in good fruitset and optimum ripening with yields well above expectations. The weather during vintage was warm to mild with no rain. However, due to […]
The best red winegrapes for 30 years is how Stuart McGrath-Kerr summed up the 2002 Riverina vintage. Stuart, who is secretary of the Winemakers of the Riverina Promotion Committee, said the Riverina yield increased by about 30% on last year. Vintage began on 29 January, which is about normal for the region, and fine and […]
In contrast to many wine regions in Australia, Queensland yields were expected to be about 20% higher than last year, according to a Winemakers Federation of Australia report. Fruit quality is expected to be high despite the hot weather experienced over the Christmas period.
Jane Holt, winemaker at Berrys Bridge Wines, said there seemed to be great variation of conditions across the region but that it was generally a challenging season. She said the spring was cool and the summer mild, promoting above average powdery mildew incidence. Rainfall was below average and extremely windy conditions caused poor fruitset in […]
The season began with a mild winter followed by warm weather in September which gave good early growth. Budburst was uneven with many unfruitful shoots. October to December was cool and wet and while saving on irrigations, the weather was not kind for flowering and fruitset. No frosts of any consequence were experienced during spring. […]
Yields were down by 10 to 30% on last year due to spring frosts and, for some varieties, windy conditions at flowering. But the reduced yield led to more concentrated fruit flavours, according to Margot Sharpe, president of the Orange Region Vignerons Association. Across the board it was an outstanding season for whites, said Margot. […]