A Vintage To Watch Out For
Vintage in the wine world means harvest time, crunch time, all hands on deck and keeping your eyes on the ball almost 24/7. Vintage also denotes the year that the grapes were picked and which is embossed on just about every label of each bottle of wine that you drink. It is singularly the most exciting time of the year for wine growers and wine makers, all with a common purpose to get the best fruit off the vine into the winery so that the fruits of their labour, literally and metaphorically can be turned into the best possible wine.
The thing about vintage is that you only get one go with grapes. Once they reach the perfect ripeness, that's it, it's time for them to be picked! It is therefore all about wine folk working their hardest and smartest to work out exactly when to pick the grapes at the most optimum time.
I've done a bit of tour around various top wineries across Australia to present a preliminary idea of how things are shaping up. The news so far from winemakers is all good, indeed very good. This is in spite of the fact that these wineries are located hundreds and even thousands of kilometres apart.
Now I can hear some of you saying, yer, here go the wine marketing folk again beating the drum, going into hyperbole, claiming another vintage of the century (easy to do at this time of the century) yadda, yadda, yadda. However I must say, that nearly everyone I have spoken to is saying pretty much the same thing and this is coming from folk whom I know are at the best of times quite restrained and grounded in their public comment. And the message is loud and clear from all across the country; the overall quality of vintage 2005 is top shelf and a vintage to watch.
So let's go on a tour across the country to hear directly from the wine folk themselves.
Starting off in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Garth Eather from Meerea Park Wines agrees whilst it is early days yet, this will be a vintage to watch for. Garth says "2004 was very good to us for whites, but we think 2005 will be as good for some varieties if not better". When asked which varieties, he said "Verdelho and Semillon are very good and we are very pleased with the Viognier. Most varieties are down in quantity, hence the increase in quality". Of the stalwart Hunter Shiraz, Garth says "all of our Hunter Shiraz has great flavour profiles. Vintage 2005 will not have the concentration of 2003, but will be a vintage to watch, possibly similar to 2000 with great aging potential".
Over in Central Victoria, in Bendigo, Robyn Lougoon from Connor Park Wines is still keeping her fingers crossed and said "we are seeing larger than average crops across most varieties with a high quality fruit, well balanced flavours, ripeness and excellent PH levels". Robyn believes the continued warm weather will assist the ripening process and enhance flavour development of the grapes.
In the Heathcote region of Central Victoria, Tod Dexter of Heathcote Estate speaks of his Shiraz 2005 harvest as consisting of "grapes harvested in near perfect condition". They have experienced a mild summer there which finished with a hot spell early in March and that resulted in a very fast and furious harvest. Tod however says that flavours are strong and most of the wine is already in barrel.
Over at the Mornington Peninsula in Southern Victoria, where Tod Dexter is also a winemaker, he says of his Yabby Lake Vineyards 2005 harvest which is still under way; "The very cool summer has resulted in the latest vintage in 7 years bringing us back to similar harvest times seen for most of the '90's. Mild weather around Easter has got us over the line". Tod says that the Yabby Lake Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have great flavours with slightly higher acids than recently experienced. He also said that the colour and tannin in the Pinots at this early stage look great and that the flavour intensity in the Chardonnay juices is quite strong.
Crossing now to McLaren Vale in South Australia, where Michael House from Parri Estate tells me; "The weather during the past few months has been inconsistent and very unseasonal with cool conditions, spring rains and very hot days". Despite this, he also said "At this stage, berry development is looking good. Vintage at Parri Estate commenced much earlier this year on 18th February with hand picking of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for sparkling base wine. Yields are down on the previous year but overall the quality looks very good".
Tim Burvill from Rockbare in the McLaren Vale echoes the optimism of Michael House. Tim reckons that "2005 is looking like being a cracker of a vintage. One of the great things about this summer is that we didn't have any heat waves. All my McLaren Vale Chardonnays are off the vine, and it is as good as I have ever seen the Chardonnay." Tim's quest to make the perfect Shiraz will be buoyed by Shiraz colours that he says "are amazing, and I am quietly very excited about the potential from this vintage, which is one of the earliest vintages ever".
Colin Rayment from Kay Bros Amery Vineyards in the McLaren Vale was the most optimistic of the McLaren trio saying that "At last a 10 out of 10 vintage in an odd year! 2005 will match or maybe even better the mighty 1998 and 2002 vintages". Colin told me that the vintage grapes consisted of "stunning tooth staining colours, enormous fruit flavours and perfect winemaking conditions - what more could you ask for!" He was happy with the weather because it has been mild without the stressful over 38 degree days and because of this, the grapes have responded beautifully. He says that Colin Kay, winemaker is continually bringing fermented grape juice to the office with a huge smile. Together they are more than a little excited about this vintage, which given the experience and reputation of this duo, says something!
Over at the Clare Valley in South Australia, Steve Wiblin from Neagles Rock Vineyards is also quietly confident about the quality of their vintage. Steve said "Another cool summer and smaller crops in the Clare Valley has left all fruit with good slow ripened sugar levels and great acid". In relation to specific grape varieties, he said that it should mean a very strong year particularly for Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Grenache and Sangiovese". A poor fruit set on Cabernet is the only big disappointment they had but Steve said that this may help in the quality dimension.
In the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Larry Jacobs from Hahndorf Hill Winery echoed similar sentiments to others in that "it seems that all varieties are going to be picked perhaps two weeks earlier than usual". He also said that "2005 has proved to be a fairly cool summer - in many ways similar to the great 2002 vintage and all the yields are looking to be between modest and less but the canopies all are brimming with health". Larry said he would be surprised if there are any winemakers out there who are not champing at the bit to get their hands dirty with what might prove to be one of the top vintages for ages.
Craig Willson of Bremerton Wines in Langhorne Creek in South Australia also says "Vintage 2005 has started with an unexpected rush, some three weeks early with no logic as to the ripening of various varieties. Colour throughout is fabulous, the acid in Shiraz is holding well. Flavours in the reds are good whilst the whites are variable". Overall, Craig feels it will be a good vintage, giving Langhorne Creek its fourth good one in a row, which in his view again supports the claim that Langhorne Creek is one of Australia's most consistently good wine grape regions.
Over in Western Australia, vintage at Howard Park has been in progress in both the Margaret River and Frankland River regions. Annette Jacobs from Howard Park reports that her winemakers are saying that "quality so far has been outstanding with mild weather allowing me to pick at will and according to ripeness rather than pick because I am worried that it is going to rain".
In spite of all of the above, vintage assessment still has an element of crystal ball gazing attached to it even when you know your grapes are good. The reality is there are still a fair few factors that have to kick into place in order to produce a top drop. There is also no point making sweeping statements on behalf of everyone and everything across the country. But all in all, the signs are there that this vintage is one we can all look forward to hopefully some great examples, of 2005 wines across the country. The pressure this year looks like being on the winemakers to deliver the goods as the viticulturalists have upheld their end of the bargain!
Paul can be contacted by email at Paul_Ippolito@hotmail.com where you can also request to be placed on his mailing list for his newsletter.
Meet Paul Ippolito - The Mystery of Wine Tasting
Wine Talk - March
*The legal age for alcohol in Australia is 18*
The thing about vintage is that you only get one go with grapes. Once they reach the perfect ripeness, that's it, it's time for them to be picked! It is therefore all about wine folk working their hardest and smartest to work out exactly when to pick the grapes at the most optimum time.
I've done a bit of tour around various top wineries across Australia to present a preliminary idea of how things are shaping up. The news so far from winemakers is all good, indeed very good. This is in spite of the fact that these wineries are located hundreds and even thousands of kilometres apart.
Now I can hear some of you saying, yer, here go the wine marketing folk again beating the drum, going into hyperbole, claiming another vintage of the century (easy to do at this time of the century) yadda, yadda, yadda. However I must say, that nearly everyone I have spoken to is saying pretty much the same thing and this is coming from folk whom I know are at the best of times quite restrained and grounded in their public comment. And the message is loud and clear from all across the country; the overall quality of vintage 2005 is top shelf and a vintage to watch.
So let's go on a tour across the country to hear directly from the wine folk themselves.
Starting off in the Hunter Valley of NSW, Garth Eather from Meerea Park Wines agrees whilst it is early days yet, this will be a vintage to watch for. Garth says "2004 was very good to us for whites, but we think 2005 will be as good for some varieties if not better". When asked which varieties, he said "Verdelho and Semillon are very good and we are very pleased with the Viognier. Most varieties are down in quantity, hence the increase in quality". Of the stalwart Hunter Shiraz, Garth says "all of our Hunter Shiraz has great flavour profiles. Vintage 2005 will not have the concentration of 2003, but will be a vintage to watch, possibly similar to 2000 with great aging potential".
Over in Central Victoria, in Bendigo, Robyn Lougoon from Connor Park Wines is still keeping her fingers crossed and said "we are seeing larger than average crops across most varieties with a high quality fruit, well balanced flavours, ripeness and excellent PH levels". Robyn believes the continued warm weather will assist the ripening process and enhance flavour development of the grapes.
In the Heathcote region of Central Victoria, Tod Dexter of Heathcote Estate speaks of his Shiraz 2005 harvest as consisting of "grapes harvested in near perfect condition". They have experienced a mild summer there which finished with a hot spell early in March and that resulted in a very fast and furious harvest. Tod however says that flavours are strong and most of the wine is already in barrel.
Over at the Mornington Peninsula in Southern Victoria, where Tod Dexter is also a winemaker, he says of his Yabby Lake Vineyards 2005 harvest which is still under way; "The very cool summer has resulted in the latest vintage in 7 years bringing us back to similar harvest times seen for most of the '90's. Mild weather around Easter has got us over the line". Tod says that the Yabby Lake Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have great flavours with slightly higher acids than recently experienced. He also said that the colour and tannin in the Pinots at this early stage look great and that the flavour intensity in the Chardonnay juices is quite strong.
Crossing now to McLaren Vale in South Australia, where Michael House from Parri Estate tells me; "The weather during the past few months has been inconsistent and very unseasonal with cool conditions, spring rains and very hot days". Despite this, he also said "At this stage, berry development is looking good. Vintage at Parri Estate commenced much earlier this year on 18th February with hand picking of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for sparkling base wine. Yields are down on the previous year but overall the quality looks very good".
Tim Burvill from Rockbare in the McLaren Vale echoes the optimism of Michael House. Tim reckons that "2005 is looking like being a cracker of a vintage. One of the great things about this summer is that we didn't have any heat waves. All my McLaren Vale Chardonnays are off the vine, and it is as good as I have ever seen the Chardonnay." Tim's quest to make the perfect Shiraz will be buoyed by Shiraz colours that he says "are amazing, and I am quietly very excited about the potential from this vintage, which is one of the earliest vintages ever".
Colin Rayment from Kay Bros Amery Vineyards in the McLaren Vale was the most optimistic of the McLaren trio saying that "At last a 10 out of 10 vintage in an odd year! 2005 will match or maybe even better the mighty 1998 and 2002 vintages". Colin told me that the vintage grapes consisted of "stunning tooth staining colours, enormous fruit flavours and perfect winemaking conditions - what more could you ask for!" He was happy with the weather because it has been mild without the stressful over 38 degree days and because of this, the grapes have responded beautifully. He says that Colin Kay, winemaker is continually bringing fermented grape juice to the office with a huge smile. Together they are more than a little excited about this vintage, which given the experience and reputation of this duo, says something!
Over at the Clare Valley in South Australia, Steve Wiblin from Neagles Rock Vineyards is also quietly confident about the quality of their vintage. Steve said "Another cool summer and smaller crops in the Clare Valley has left all fruit with good slow ripened sugar levels and great acid". In relation to specific grape varieties, he said that it should mean a very strong year particularly for Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, Grenache and Sangiovese". A poor fruit set on Cabernet is the only big disappointment they had but Steve said that this may help in the quality dimension.
In the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Larry Jacobs from Hahndorf Hill Winery echoed similar sentiments to others in that "it seems that all varieties are going to be picked perhaps two weeks earlier than usual". He also said that "2005 has proved to be a fairly cool summer - in many ways similar to the great 2002 vintage and all the yields are looking to be between modest and less but the canopies all are brimming with health". Larry said he would be surprised if there are any winemakers out there who are not champing at the bit to get their hands dirty with what might prove to be one of the top vintages for ages.
Craig Willson of Bremerton Wines in Langhorne Creek in South Australia also says "Vintage 2005 has started with an unexpected rush, some three weeks early with no logic as to the ripening of various varieties. Colour throughout is fabulous, the acid in Shiraz is holding well. Flavours in the reds are good whilst the whites are variable". Overall, Craig feels it will be a good vintage, giving Langhorne Creek its fourth good one in a row, which in his view again supports the claim that Langhorne Creek is one of Australia's most consistently good wine grape regions.
Over in Western Australia, vintage at Howard Park has been in progress in both the Margaret River and Frankland River regions. Annette Jacobs from Howard Park reports that her winemakers are saying that "quality so far has been outstanding with mild weather allowing me to pick at will and according to ripeness rather than pick because I am worried that it is going to rain".
In spite of all of the above, vintage assessment still has an element of crystal ball gazing attached to it even when you know your grapes are good. The reality is there are still a fair few factors that have to kick into place in order to produce a top drop. There is also no point making sweeping statements on behalf of everyone and everything across the country. But all in all, the signs are there that this vintage is one we can all look forward to hopefully some great examples, of 2005 wines across the country. The pressure this year looks like being on the winemakers to deliver the goods as the viticulturalists have upheld their end of the bargain!
Paul can be contacted by email at Paul_Ippolito@hotmail.com where you can also request to be placed on his mailing list for his newsletter.
Meet Paul Ippolito - The Mystery of Wine Tasting
Wine Talk - March
*The legal age for alcohol in Australia is 18*
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