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2005 vintage report for Tasmania

An outstanding vintage for all varieties and regions, 2005 will be a classic year for Tasmanian wine. An easy year for disease control and a slightly cool, dry growing season finished with an ideal vintage.
There was a cool August with higher-than-normal rainfall in the lower Derwent Valley and South East and low rainfall in the midlands and North East. These cool conditions possibly retarded inflorescence development and division leading to a moderation of yields.
Above normal temperatures in spring for budburst allowed differentiated flowers to develop with the strength of this energy. October was slightly warmer than normal with blustery conditions as usual at the equinox.
November and early December were again slightly warmer than usual allowing for strong flowering and good sets in most regions. Poor sets were still a feature in some vineyards underpinning strong grower interest in this aspect of vine physiology. Almost half of the Sydney to Hobart fleet withdrew because of strong southerly winds and heavy seas from the 27-29 December.
January started cool but warmed toward the end. Early February was also cool with destructive south-easterly winds on 3 February. These winds broke boat moorings in the Tamar and damaged apple, poppy and grain crops. Most vineyards were somewhat protected by aspect from these wind events but some vineyards reported patches of leaf loss or loss of leaf function. Winemakers report managing periods of elevated pH during making of wine from wind-affected vineyards.
The slightly cool, sometimes humid season saw canopies freshen up with occasional showers to keep them moving. Most canopies retained powerful green leaves until after harvest with mild basal leaf senescence if any. Generally, the state had very healthy canopies with thick, deep-coloured, big green leaves that despite the dry season were luscious and powerful.
Many vineyards reported wasp damage late in the season. A key to baited wasp control is to feed wasps when they are taking protein for developing larvae in early summer. Diligent attention at this time would have saved some fruit and kept pickers happier.
March was cool and dry leading to higher irrigation demands for ripening than normal. April finished the season with classic, still, sunny wintery vintage days. Snow on Mount Wellington on the first of May melted with warming weather. One winery in the Huon reported crushing fruit in early May at eleven at night in temperatures of twenty degrees. Vintage began with Sparkling wines from mid March with the last fruit, late-harvest Riesling, coming in by the end of May.