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2005 vintage report for Riverina (New South Wales)

The Wine Grapes Marketing Board’s early analysis of fruit samples showed a promise of outstanding quality fruit for the 2005 vintage.
Disruptions to vine ripening activity caused by inconsistent climatic changes during final maturation did little to alter this view. Rain recorded during September to April was a maximum of 120 mm, although this varied greatly across the region.
Weather conditions for the season between September to April were mild with the average monthly temperature between 17.3°C (October) and 24.9°C (January).
The WGMB recorded nine days where the daily temperatures were greater then 36°C, with January having several periods of successive warm days, followed by a sudden decrease which brought rain and hail on the 20 January resulting in approximately 5000 tonnes of fruit being lost.
February recorded a day with 41°C then a dramatic change to10°C occurring two days later. The overall harvest period was mild with several days experiencing temperatures above 36°C.
The vintage started earlier then last season. Chardonnay was slow to ripen which impacted on the harvest of other varieties. Most fruit that came off at optimum timing was good in quality, but storage posed a logistical problem for wineries causing some of the intake of fruit to be extended beyond optimum.
Overall, the region produced 246,587 tonnes (reported tonnes), down from the 2004 record crush of 255,000 tonnes. Most varieties recorded no significant changes in production from the 2004 vintage with the exceptions of Chardonnay and Shiraz, which rose and fell 20 per cent, respectively.
A highlight for the region this season was that almost all grapes were harvested; the known volume of grapes left on the vine was less then 1000 tonnes.