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1998 vintage report for Upper Hunter Valley (New South Wales)

Andrew Cruickshank, president of the Upper Hunter Winemakers Association, expects 1998 to be a ‘famous year’ for reds, with high sugars and rich, ripe fruit flavours. Vintage in the region began earlier than usual and continued in hot, dry weather. Yields were average; Andrew said some white varieties cropped very well with a low incidence of disease, while red varieties were generally a little down in quantity but of very high quality. ‘Some of the lesser planted white varieties such as Riesling suffered heat stress, but the main ones – Semillon and Chardonnay – were very high quality,’ Andrew said. He said the early vintage had given the region a great start to next year, as the vine leaves have stayed on well so that the level of carbohydrates will be high for next season. ‘The 1998 season created some stressed vines but the weather generally worked well for the region,’ he said.