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2010 vintage report for Granite Belt (Queensland)

Supplied by Granite Belt Wine & Tourism Inc.
Growing season: A warm, dry spring led to early budburst and fruitset. Bunch numbers and berry size were reduced with the expectation of lower yields but good flavour. A number of vineyards experienced frost in late spring. Some of those that escaped this event were subject to hail early in the season. A heatwave in late January affected some vineyards and this was followed by frequent rains over the next couple of months. Disease incidence (botrytis) was high and there was difficulty in ripening some of the red varieties.
Vintage: The 2010 vintage was very early compared with previous years, commencing in late January – on average, three weeks earlier. The vintage was short with most fruit off the vine by the middle-to-end of March; a challenging vintage where Mother Nature threw at us all she could, or maybe just a reminder not to be complacent with sprays after a number of dry years.
Yields and quality: Yields were down by 30% in white varieties with Chardonnay and Verdelho harvested prior to the rain looking exceptionally flavoursome. Red varieties suffered from the rain with yields down by an estimated 50%. Isolated vineyards produced some Shiraz and Cabernet of very good quality.