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2006 vintage report for Canberra District (Canberra District)

Above average mean temperatures through winter, spring and summer have produced the warmest growing season for Canberra District winegrowers since 1998.
An early budburst followed one of the warmest winters on record. Higher than average temperature minima, and fewer frost days than normal, ensured that most growers remained unscathed by frost during spring.
Combined winter and spring rainfall at Canberra Airport (450.2mm) was well above average (308.9mm). Vines relished the warm and moist conditions, enjoying the best ‘grand period of growth’ seen in the district for five years. The impact of hail events during October and November was sporadic, with only a few vineyards sustaining serious damage.
Summer and early autumn were characterised by warm temperatures and well below average rainfall, resulting in near-perfect ripening conditions.
Harvest commenced in the warmest sub-district, Hall, on 18 February. The three weeks following were characterised by rapid sugar and flavour accumulation. The harvest of white grape varieties was complete by mid-March in Hall, Murrumbateman, Gundaroo and Yass. Milder weather followed, stalling the ripening of red varieties, whose harvest did not commence in earnest until the beginning of April. The bulk of the harvest was complete by 21 April. Fruit ripened approximately two-and-a-half weeks earlier than average for the majority of the district, and one week earlier for the higher altitude, cooler areas close to the Lake George Escarpment.
Disease incidence was low, aided by the dry summer and autumn conditions. More serious was damage caused to vine leaves (and in some cases, shoots, bunch stems and berries) between December and April, by wingless grasshoppers.
The vintage was the best in the last five years for white grape varieties, which revelled in the less stressful conditions. Sugar and flavour build up was swift, resulting in good retention of malic acid at harvest. Riesling and Chardonnay quality was very good, as were some emerging varieties, Viognier and Marsanne. For the red varieties, physiological ripeness was not approached until quite high sugar levels had been reached, and malic acid levels were a little lower than average. Shiraz was the standout red variety, but there was also generosity and ripeness in Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot not seen for a number of years.