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2004 vintage report for Goulburn Valley (Victoria)

Frost in the northern and central Goulburn Valley on 28 September caused significant bud damage to earlier bursting varieties, particularly Chardonnay and Riesling. Monichino’s from Katunga had its first severe frost in its 42 year history, however secondary buds were reasonably fruitful following timely spring rains, hence final yields were surprisingly good.

Average spring rains allowed for 100% water allocation for irrigation diversion users on the Goulburn by December, compared to only 54% the previous year. The growing season provided a cooler than average and dry November and early December, with welcome rains of around 50 mm in the week leading up to Christmas. Moderate temperatures continued in January, resulting in low disease pressure. During February, the Goulburn Valley experienced high temperatures with prolonged heatwaves; for 10 days in succession it was over 35ºC. Despite the heat, there was surprisingly little berry damage from sunburn. Canopies appeared to have some heat related damage, however, blocks that had irrigation applied prior to the onset of the heat generally experienced less leaf burn damage. The heat retarded photosynthetic activity and resultant sugar accumulation immediately following veraison, and this resulted in commencement of harvest being delayed up to two weeks later than average.

Once harvest was under way, fine and warm conditions ensured that all varieties ripened in rapid succession over a short period. Wineries reported a steady but large intake for the final two weeks of March and first two weeks of April, with all varieties achieving optimum sugar and flavour ripeness. There was a trend of higher than average berry and bunch weights compared to historical averages across all varieties. Final intake figures were generally 30 and 40% higher than the previous two drought-affected vintages, but in line with historical seasonal averages.

Quality ranged from fair to excellent. Acid levels were slightly low, but good varietal expression and colour were a fair reflection of cropping levels. The Rhône varietals including Shiraz and Viognier coped reasonably well with the high temperatures. Merlot and Cabernet appear to have suffered a little from the heat and do not have the same concentration of flavour compared with the previous two vintages. By the end of April, 95% of the fruit had been harvested. There was some pressure on fermentation space during April, with higher than expected intake. The combination of high volumes of bulk wine in the marketplace and a forecast record national harvest has placed reduced demand on the reds especially, hence regional average prices were reduced significantly. There were isolated instances of red fruit being left on the vine or picked onto the ground, with several wineries enforcing limitations on intakes.

Only 40-50 mm of rain had been recorded in most areas of the region to the end of April from the commencement of the calendar year, which is well short of historical average. Good winter rains will be welcomed to top up catchments and depleted subsoil profiles, as the last six winters in succession have all recorded below average rainfall.