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2009 vintage report for Cowra (New South Wales)

Tom Ward, president, Cowra Regional Vineyard Association

Growing season: The season started out with rainfall being around about average (two inches per month) until the end of December ’08. There were some problems with downy and powdery mildew. However, these were fairly isolated and dry heat in December and January cleared most of the problems provided they were not out of control.

About 10% of vineyards were affected by frost that occurred around 22 October. Some vineyards reported losses of up to 50% or even more. We also received sleet in early November which caused some damage to late-flowering varieties but those that were already through flowering avoided damage.

Temperatures were normal until some warm weather started in mid-January and continued through until mid-February. Varieties that ripened during the end of the warm conditions struggled as vines used more water, making watering hard to keep up. Fruit that was ripe for picking suffered during this period. Flavour development otherwise was moderate to excellent with some quality parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Vintage: Vintage started in late January and concluded in early April. The start of the vintage was about two weeks ahead of normal but the warm conditions stopped the ripening of the later varieties and so these came in around the normal time.

The vintage was great (no rain – only 38mm between January and March) except for the heatwave in the middle. As most vineyards in the area have good access to water those with the better irrigation set-ups and lower crop yields were able to best handle the situation.

Yields and quality: Yields were down about 30% on the previous year (we did our bit for the over-supply!) Quality was good to excellent with red varieties being the standout for the year. The whites that came off before the heatwave are showing some fresh and varietal characters. Water was the key, plus trying to minimise the stress on the vines.