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2008 vintage report for Orange (New South Wales)

By Justin Byrne
President
Orange Region Vignerons’ Association Inc.

A cool growing season, good rain and a warm finish proved to be close to ideal conditions for the Orange region. As some growers put it, the 2008 vintage rebounded surprisingly well after a disastrous 2007.

With the return to a cooler summer and a deeper winter, we saw excellent fruit quality and quantity across all varieties. The season was early again but not as early as 2007, perhaps a week earlier than average. Cool conditions in February gave way to a warm March and April that saw good flavour development coupled with good natural acidity – in some cases growers were holding off picking to let the acids come down.

There was some disease pressure in the whites due to the wet weather in February but a dry March allowed this to be controlled. Sauvignon Blanc showed great fruit intensity and Chardonnay yielded well, with average to above-average crops of excellent flavour. It is ideally suited to the region. In the reds, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon all performed well. Merlot and Cabernet Franc displayed great fruit flavour.