2007 Vintage

Every vintage is different, but the 2007 vintage is more different than any experienced in Australia.

The failure of winter and spring rains in 2006 put pressure on soil moisture and on supplies of water for irrigation.

Severe frosts in the spring affected vineyards in all Eastern States. The extent of damage varied from region to region, and also within regions. Vineyards on sloping sites tend to escape the worst damage, and of course the frost problem is much worse in inland regions. Some growers lost a small amount of their crops or just one or two varieties that were at a particularly vulnerable stage of budburst when the fros occurred. Others suffered a complete wipeout and will face a difficult task in rehabilitating their vines to get a crop for 2008.

The second problem has been smoke pollution in some areas. The long period of bushfires early in the summer meant that many vineyards were shrouded in smoke for several days. The result can be that the grapes skins pick up a taint that can come through in the wine. The extent of this damage may not be evident until after the wine is made.

Every year we find that fruit set and yields are affected by weather events at flowering time. these are usually localised, but can be devastating for particular vineyards.

Most regions are experiencing lower yields this year, and vintage dates are earlier than ever. This can present problems for winemakers as the highest quality wine is made from grapes that have had long period of ripening.

It's not all gloom and doom. Dry growing seasons mean less disease problems and consequently less need for expensive spraying. Lower yields will often lead to more intense flavours, but we will really need to wait and see.

My guess is that you will be disappointed if you want your 2007 vintage wines to taste the same as other years, but if you savour the differences and variety that wine can bring you will have plenty to find out and discuss over the next few years as the idiosyncratic 2007 wines are released.

Here is a special website about the 2007 Vintage which contains reports and comments from winemakers throughout Australia.