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2000 vintage report for Tasmania

This report was prepared by Stuart Bryce, president of the Vineyards Association of Tasmania:Although Tasmania now produces more than 3,000 tonnes of fruit annually, and this is expected to double within the next five years, there is still only one geographic indicatorùTasmania. The 1999/00 season will go down in memory as one of the best the Tasmanian wine industry has produced. This comment, applicable to all growing areas, reflects more the effect on fruit quality by climatic conditions that prevailed, rather than any indication of greatly increased yields. While final figures are not yet available the increase in yield for the state will be more of a reflection of a number of new vineyards coming into production. The season commenced with budburst in September, with some damage evident in frost-prone areas.There were a few reports of some powdery mildew early in the season but apart from that Tasmania was virtually disease-free for the whole of the growing season.There were no significant reports of botrytis or influence of lightbrown apple moth. Rainfall was good up until December when a dramatic decrease in expected precipitation caused a lot of farmers in Tasmania considerable grief. That drought still persists in the south.A long hot summer resulted in all varieties achieving full ripeness and vintage beginning earlyùup to a month for some sparkling material in the south of the state. Generally most fruit for table wines was picked about two to three weeks earlier than usual and reports describing premium quality fruit were consistent from all regions. The Pipers Brook region experienced some increase in yield but this was not the case in the south of the state and on the east coast, where yields were below that expected.