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2000 vintage report for Riverland (South Australia)

Vintage started in mid January, which was early for the region. Bill Moularadellis, president of the Riverland Winemakers Association, said yields were down 10-15% per hectare on existing plantings, reflecting the increased number of growers striving to reduce yield and therefore improve quality. New plantings saw an overall increase of 5-10%. Very mild weather in spring and early summer was followed by a torrential downpour in late February, with intermittent rain for the remainder of harvest. Bill said a few vineyards experienced minor powdery problems late in the harvest. Lower yields, combined with mild conditions, produced some excellent early pick reds and whites. ‘The ripening period within each variety varied dramatically from vineyard to vineyard,’ he said. ‘Earlier ripening fruit (i.e. from balanced crops) provided excellent colour and very fruity wines. Wines from later picked fruit were less ripe and intense. Overall it was a very good year which significantly exceeded expectations. This vintage highlighted the great potential of the area.’ Fortunately there were only small amounts of rain-damaged fruit for Chenin Blanc and Colombard. Fruit flavours were quite good, even for delicates such as Frontignan and Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay was very good again this vintage with Viognier showing excellent quality. There were no reported infrastructure problems because of the lower than expected intake and slower ripening.