Vintage Reports

Filter reports by year

View Vintage Report overviews for: 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996

2011 vintage report for Cowra (New South Wales)

Supplied by Jason O’Dea, president, Cowra Region Vineyard Association Inc.
Growing season: Budburst was on time while flowering was wet and cool and up to two weeks late. Post flowering was cool and characterised by showers. High disease pressure, including outbreaks of downy and powdery, affected some varieties. Veraison was even and consistent. White varieties were harvested around three weeks late and dry, while there was some rain during the Shiraz harvest but not the Cabernet.
Vintage: Vintage was three to four weeks later than in the recent drought years. Some growers protected only the crops that they knew they had a market for so tonnages were down on previous years.
Yields and quality: Whites are all good with Chardonnay and Verdelho showing excellent varietal character and length. It was an average year for Shiraz but Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet show good varietal characters.