Due to the effects of El Niqo the weather across the eastern half of Australia was very dry and very warm throughout the entire growing season, and in fact represented a continuation of the near-drought conditions of 1997. The result was a compressed and hectic vintage, with varieties ripening out of the normal sequence, and the later-ripening varieties (particularly shiraz and cabernet sauvignon) performing spectacularly well. Generally speaking, the disparate wine regions of New South Wales fared well, those of southern Victoria even better. But the greatest success story of all came with the red wines from South Australia, where an exceptional combination of high yield and outstanding quality has resulted in all of the major producers having exceptional stocks of great red wines for release in the first two years of this millennium. Tasmania continued the success story; only West Australia, with vintage rain, went against the eastern States' pattern. National crush: 975 674 tonnes Area of vineyards: 98 439 hectares Wine production: 695 200 000 litres New South Wales
Hunter Valley Zone: Lower Hunter Valley
As is so often the case with the Hunter Valley, heavy rain fell during the 1997 vintage, just when it wasn't needed or wanted, and was promptly followed by a six-month drought, partially broken by modest rain in September, October and November, sufficient to put some moisture into the ground, but nowhere near enough to fill the long-empty dams. A burst of rain in January caused momentary alarm, but the vintage then became fine and dry. As in so many parts of Australia, vintage got underway early, and was flat out by the end of the first week of February. The Hunter Valley's two classic grape varieties, semillon and shiraz both did well, particularly the semillon. Those Hunter wineries taking fruit from the western side of the Great Dividing Range (and many of the larger ones do these days) had their vintage plans compounded by the grapes all the way from Mudgee to Gundagai ripening up to five weeks ahead of normal. This, coupled with the sheer pressure placed on the handling wineries meant that some of the grapes were picked too ripe, but will be very richly flavoured. Rating: W 8 R 8 Hunter Valley Zone: Upper Hunter Valley
Claimed to be one of the finest years ever, notwithstanding the heat and pace of the vintage. The level of fruit flavour in the white wines is exceptional; the red wines have intense colour, excellent tannins and clear varietal fruit characters. Rating: W 9 R 9 Central Ranges Zone: Mudgee
The weather was abnormally hot in both November and December, resulting in flowering and set problems, and hence a reduction in yield of around 10 per cent. The weather remained warm throughout summer and autumn, albeit broken with occasional showers. The decrease in yield led to a corresponding increase in flavour intensity across the board; only Cabernet Sauvignon suffered from the heat, with slightly reduced colour intensity. Rating: W 9 R 8 Central Ranges Zone: Cowra
A hot and dry growing season resulted in an early and compressed budburst for all varieties and ultimately to harvest several weeks early, with no particular pattern to the sequence of ripening. Bunch and berry size was small, with exposed fruit showing some sunburn in younger vineyards. The hot conditions pushed sugar levels well in advance of fruit flavour development, with the consequence that the alcohol levels were relatively high, the flavour profiles modest. Rating: W 6 R 5 Central Ranges Zone: Orange
A warm spring led to an early budburst and rapid spring growth. The continuing warm and dry summer months resulted in a vintage two weeks earlier than normal, with chardonnay harvested by early March and cabernet sauvignon by early April. The wines have excellent colour, flavour and ripeness. Rating: W 8 R 8 Big Rivers Zone: Riverina
The pattern of all of the irrigated Riverland areas of Australia was repeated in the Riverina: a late budburst, touches of frost damage here or there in spring, and a hot, dry vintage leading to very rapid ripening and high sugar levels in both semillon and chardonnay. Southern New South Wales Zone: Canberra District
The Canberra District shared in the hot, dry weather, and lack of irrigation water posed real challenges. However, flavour development was far better than might have been expected, particularly with the red wines. If the correct picking decisions were made, the outcome was surprisingly good. Rating: W 7 R 9 Southern New South Wales Zone: Hilltops
An extremely difficult vintage. Budburst and early growth look promising, but a burst of extreme heat at flowering resulted in sharply reduced yields. Continuing heat through the growing season impaired flavour development, and ripening patterns were extremely erratic, making picking decisions particularly difficult. Rating: W 5 R 5 Southern New South Wales Zone: Tumbarumba
All in all, a year to remember. There was adequate winter rain (part provided by snow falls in August) and newly installed frost protection systems prevented the damage which would have otherwise occurred during the cold snap of October which hit many of the cooler parts of Australia. The dry and warm summer led to a rapid flowering in December (two weeks earlier than normal) and the pace continued thereafter, with harvest commencing three weeks in advance of normal. Sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and chardonnay, all destined for the Hungerford Hill label, are said to be outstanding at this early juncture. Rating: W 9 R 9 Northern Rivers Zone: Hastings River
An early vintage, with yields down by five per cent on 1997, and a complete absence of rainfall during the harvest period resulted in excellent quality for the early and mid-season red varieties, notably pinot noir and chambourcin. Shiraz and cabernet sauvignon fared less well because of vine stress. The white wines were generally better, particularly semillon and verdelho. Rating: W 9 R 7 South Coast Zone: Shoalhaven
A very wet winter set the scene for a highyielding vintage, with yields up by 20 to 40 per cent. A hot and dry summer followed, ideal conditions given the high yield. Almost all the vineyards in the region are netted, providing protection from bird attack in the latter part of the ripening season. Rating: W 9 R 9 Victoria
Port Phillip Zone: Yarra Valley
The 1997 calendar year was the driest ever recorded in the Yarra Valley, and the second-driest recorded in metropolitan Melbourne. The 1998 weather continued dry right through to the conclusion of vintage, with only scattered showers here and there. For the Upper Yarra vineyards of BRL Hardy and Coldstream Hills/Southcorp (both of which have permanent water sources in the forms of creeks which do not stop flowing in even the most prolonged droughts) the vintage was ideal. Says Peter Dawson: "Chardonnay flavours on the vine were magnificent - intense and long, and beautifully balanced... We were also fortunate that the pinot noir achieved the full ripeness necessary for premium table wine." For Coldstream Hills the most exciting single wine from the Upper Yarra Valley was Merlot, although the Sauvignon Blanc is also explosive in flavour. In the Lower Yarra Valley Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon look to be outstanding, the Chardonnay very good. Overall, yields were back to normal after two very small vintages in 1996 and 1997, and everyone is smiling. Rating: W 8 R 9 Port Phillip Zone: Mornington Peninsula
The warm, dry conditions gave the Mornington Peninsula its second outstanding vintage in a row, with excellent wines right across the spectrum. In particular, the Mornington Peninsula benefited from the early season, which allowed all the varieties to ripen fully before daytime temperatures commenced to fall. Rating: W 9 R 9 Port Phillip Zone: Macedon Ranges
Not surprisingly, a number of vineyards in the region were affected by the frost on October 27, with follow-up damage from subsequent radiation frosts. Those that survived unscathed, and those which retained some crop after the frosts, experienced an outstanding vintage. Many believed the red wine quality, in particular, to be the best ever, thanks to a long, dry and warm autumn. Rating: W 8 R 10 Port Phillip Zone: Sunbury
Rainfall for the year was the second-lowest ever recorded, and the October frosts reduced the yield of chardonnay by as much as 40 per cent. On the other hand, flowering and fruit set more than compensated with the other varieties, leading to a regional increase of 15 per cent over the low-yielding 1997 vintage. The very warm, disease-free growing conditions prevailing right through the growing season to the end of harvest produced wines full of flavour and character. Rating: W 9 R 9 Western Victoria Zone: Grampians
Both winter and spring were extremely dry, the only relief coming in September with 120 mm rain. The dry conditions continued right through summer and into harvest, the saving grace being the absence of any extreme heat. Vintage started early, and as in the case of South Australia, yields were remarkably high given the dry conditions. Shiraz was the star performer. Says Southcorp/Seppelt Chief Winemaker Ian McKenzie: "It was an exceptionally strong year for Shiraz here in Victoria. Our own fruit at Great Western, and grapes from Bendigo, Geelong and the Ovens Valley, all came up trumps. Seppelt Great Western Vineyard Shiraz and Chalambar will both be extraordinary this year." Riesling, in contrast, was disappointing. Rating: W 7 R 9 Western Victoria Zone: Pyrenees
One of those years which occurs infrequently, with a combination of generous yield and high quality. The warm, dry conditions which prevailed throughout led to harvest taking place three to four weeks earlier than recent previous vintages, with well-developed grape flavours, aromatics and varietal character. Heavy rains arrived at the end of April after all the grapes were harvested. Rating: W 8 R 8 Western Victoria Zone: Far South Western Victoria
The southeast Australian pattern was, not surprisingly, repeated at Drumborg, with a prolonged period of below-average rainfall, and a very dry and warm harvest period. All in all a remarkable year: Ian McKenzie says: "The vineyard produced a higher than average crop, but the quality! - I think it's outstanding. We've got good Riesling, outstanding Cabernet and the best Pinot Noir yet for Sunday Creek, and an Individual Vineyard Pinot. There may also be a Drumborg Chardonnay for the first time." Rating: W 8 R 8 Central Victoria Zone: Bendigo
El Niqo conditions arrived after useful spring rain, but Bendigo escaped the extreme heat which gripped much of southeast Australia. Vintage started two weeks earlier than normal, but fruit quality was exceptional, with ripe fruit in all varieties, excellent colour and good acidity. Rating: W 9 R 9 Central Victoria Zone: Goulburn Valley
For those who had access to irrigation water, this was a truly exceptional vintage. The warm, dry conditions meant there was no disease pressure at all, and in contrast to some other areas, all varieties attained full flavour and ripeness several weeks earlier than normal. The quality of the red wines is considered to be even better than that of 1997, which was itself rated the best for 25 years. Rating: W 9 R 10 Central Victoria Zone: Central Victorian High Country
A dry, hot growing season and vintage resulted in harvest dates varying between two weeks and six weeks (according to variety) earlier than normal. The early-ripening varieties started the process two weeks earlier, and it was the late-ripening varieties which compressed the length of the vintage and resulted in the earliest conclusion for the past 20 years. The main problems were water shortages and bird pressure; less obvious was the pattern of high sugar (and hence alcohol) levels relative to flavour development. Overall, the strongly structured, big-flavoured and relatively high alcohol red wines did best. Rating: W 7 R 8 North East Victoria Zone: King Valley
From a viticultural viewpoint, a wonderful vintage, with low rainfall, warm weather and the virtual absence of pests and disease. The earliest flowering for the past 20 years saw vintage commencing three weeks earlier than normal in early February for sparkling wine, with other varieties (for table wine) being picked three-four weeks earlier than 1997. The only problem was water shortage for some vineyards. Overall, it was a good white wine vintage, and a truly excellent year for red wines. The exception to this overall pattern were the white wines from the highest altitude vineyards, where Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio stood out. It is these wines from the High Country that the vintage rating (white wines) is given. Rating: W 9 R 9 North West Victoria Zone: Murray/Sunraysia
Sunraysia followed the Riverland pattern in South Australia, with a late budburst, but an early vintage, with little spacing of maturity between varieties, continuing in a mad rush as sugar levels leapt at unprecedented rates. Great depth, weight and richness will flow through into the cheaper bottled wines from these regions. South Australia
Barossa Zone: Barossa Valley
An unusually dry winter with less than half the normal rainfall looked likely to cause problems during flowering, but the situation was saved by 50 mm rain falling in August, with good follow-up rain in September. October was very dry, but at the end of the month yet another burst of rainfall of between 70 mm and 100 mm ensured the vintage was away to a flying start. January and February were warm and dry, with extreme temperatures (up to 40 degrees C) being experienced at the end of February. The vintage started early, with aberrant ripening patterns resulting in some of the red grapes being harvested before whites. Semillon did particularly well, and it was a good year for chardonnay. However the stars were shiraz, cabernet and grenache, producing wines of concentrated peppery, ripe fruit characters and outstanding acid-pH balance. Best of all will be the Cabernet Sauvignons. Geoff Schrapel, chairman of the Barossa Winemakers, sums up thus: "The 1998 vintage in the Barossa is expected to rank alongside 1996 and 1990 as one of the best vintages of the decade. Although yields overall were slightly down, the quality and long-term cellaring potential of these wines will be exceptional." John Duval, chief red winemaker at Southcorp chips in: "It's a great follow-up to '96 and '97. We had the largest volumes ever of some Penfolds reds". Rating: W 7 R 9 Barossa Zone: Eden Valley
The Eden Valley had better winter rains than most parts of South Australia, albeit still lower than normal. It had the same follow-up rains in spring as did the Barossa, and all are united in saying it will be a great year for riesling. Geoff Schrapel says: "It will be more elegant and finer in style than 1997, showing true varietal definition of citrus and lime and having great ageing potential." Geoff Henriks of Leo Buring has decided that the top wine of the vintage (which appears under the Leo Buring Leonay label) will be sourced from the Eden Valley (rather than the Clare Valley) and has also earmarked an additional parcel for release in ten years time. At Tollana Neville Falkenberg is equally enthusiastic: "Its got a lovely lifted nose - spice and rose petals - and a very balanced palate with naturally soft acidity". The red wines from the Eden Valley were decidedly less successful, although experience suggests that Henschke will once again come up with some lovely wines. Rating: W 8 R 8 Mount Lofty Ranges Zone: Clare Valley
The winter was the driest since 1982, with only 32 mm rain falling. The same spring relief, and the same on-again, off-again rainfall pattern experienced in the Barossa and Eden Valleys (but precisely timed when it was most needed) resulted in an excellent growing season. Overall, it was warmer than 1997, which tended to produce big, full-flavoured Rieslings lacking the delicacy of the best '97s. Chardonnay, too, was disappointing, although that should come as no surprise. The major success story in the white wines was Semillon, with great depth and concentration of lemony fruit flavour. But it was with the traditional red varieties cabernet sauvignon and shiraz that the Clare did best, producing high-quality wines with all of the opulence and power for which the region is so well known. Rating: W 8 R 10 Mount Lofty Ranges Zone: Adelaide Hills
The cooler climate of the Adelaide Hills and its higher rainfall resulted in an excellent vintage. Crops were at or above average, yet flavour was not diluted. Chardonnay is fine and long, with citrus and stone fruit flavours, and the Sauvignon Blanc was far better than that produced in McLaren Vale, although the flavours will be in the tropical end of the fruit spectrum, rather than the herbaceous end. Rating: W 8 R 8 Limestone Coast Zone: Coonawarra
Coonawarra is likely to prove itself one of the stars in a great vintage. Yet the lowest ever rainfall recorded up to the end of August might have caused great problems had it not been for the November rainfall which brought soil moisture and reserves back to normal, whereafter the vintage remained mild and trouble-free. As in so many places, vintage started early, and resulted in above-average yields of consistently good wine. BRL Hardy says it is the best since 1992, while the chief winemakers for Wynns, Lindemans and Rouge Homme are all even happier still. At first it seemed that Cabernet Sauvignon would be the outstanding success, but after the wines went through cleaning up and malolactic fermentation, the Shiraz emerged looking every bit as good as the Cabernet Sauvignon. Top quality Wynns John Riddoch and Wynns Michael will be made, and Greg Clayfield at Lindemans says that the Lindemans trio of Pyrus, St George and Limestone Ridge have the richness of the 1990s and the elegance of the 1991s. Rating: W 8 R 10 Limestone Coast Zone: Padthaway
A success story every bit as compelling as that for Coonawarra. Nick Bulleid MW, writing the Southcorp Vintage Report, says: "For the fourth year in a row, Padthaway has delivered simply outstanding quality, with Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon all extraordinary. The Lindemans Padthaway range will have some exceptional wines, and the strength of fruit and firm structure of the reds will play an important role in the Penfolds Bin Reds this year". For its part BRL Hardy, which commissioned its new $18 million Stonehaven Winery at Padthaway just in time for the vintage, is ecstatic. Chief Winemaker Peter Dawson says: "It has been a great vintage for red wine out of Padthaway with both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon very complete in their structure, exhibiting ripe berry fruit characters, very sweet supple fruit flavours, softer tannins than normal and huge colour. Quite simply, they are the best we have produced from this region". Rating: W 8 R 10 Fleurieu Zone: McLaren Vale
A very dry winter was partly offset by good rains in August and September, but thereafter the weather turned dry once again, and remained so right throughout the growing season and harvest. Reduced berry and bunch size were the first consequence, exacerbated in those vineyards which had no access to irrigation. Those with enough water to prevent extreme vine stress produced intensely coloured and flavoured red wines, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache leading the way, followed closely by Shiraz. The whites were disappointing, with the exception of Semillon. Rating: W 8 R 10 Fleurieu Zone: Langhorne Creek
What is the fastest-growing region in Australia experienced a largely trouble-free vintage until 45 mm of rain fell in the second half of April. This had relatively little impact on the older vines in the region, which had either been picked or were picked immediately the rain commenced. Such problems as existed lay with relatively young vines carrying a substantial crop, most of which did not achieve full chemical or physiological ripeness. The ratings given are for the old vine material. Rating: W 8 R 8 Lower Murray Zone: Riverland
The lack of winter rain was of scarce consequence for the Riverland, the main effect being a late budburst. Irrigation levels were increased to compensate for the lack of natural moisture, and the warm, dry summer turned a late vintage into an early one. Indeed, ripening at the last stages of the growing season occurred at an unprecedented pace, with a lot of ultra-ripe and quite alcoholic Chardonnay (a rare thing in high-cropping regions) available for blending. Both Southcorp and BRL Hardy report much better than usual red wines, and both attribute this to a deliberately controlled approach to irrigation by growers seeking higher quality - and achieving it. Rating: W 8 R 9 Western Australia
South West Australia Zone: Margaret River
The season got off to a flying start, with the usual winter/spring rainfall followed by warm to hot days prevailing until significant rain began to fall in March. From this point on there was substantial variation between subregions and even between vineyards, and also in yield. Moreover, the nemesis of Margaret River grape growers - the bird population, notably silver-eyes - caused havoc for vineyards without nets, resulting in crop losses of up to 80 per cent. All in all, a difficult year to rate numerically, with the ratings a midpoint. Rating: W 7 R 7 South West Australia Zone: Great Southern
Good winter rainfall was followed by a long, dry season, with no significant rain falling between the first week of October and the second week of March. This resulted in vintage commencing two weeks earlier than normal, which turned out to be the saving grace. Periods of heavy rain throughout March and April delayed ripening, diluted sugar levels and flavour, and caused outbreaks of mould and botrytis in some vineyards. The best-managed vineyards, and those with the best climatic horoscopes, fared far better than others. Overall, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling were of a better quality than Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rating: W 7 R 6 South West Australia Zone: Pemberton
The growing season up to mid-March was excellent, with ideal growing conditions. At this point the wheels started to fall off, with 100 mm of rain falling over two weekends in mid-March, and with some vineyards recording even higher rainfall. The rain then stopped, but conditions remained overcast and relatively humid. Inevitably, both mildew and botrytis made their presence felt, exacerbated by heavy bird pressure. Chardonnay and pinot noir picked before the rain, and cabernet sauvignon picked late in the season (where protected by bird netting) were the high points; overall, it was a year to forget rather than to remember. Rating: W 5 R 5 South West Australia Zone: Geographe
The season opened with some isolated frosts in October affecting a minority of vineyards. From this point on a mild, dry growing season promoted good growth with excellent fruit set. Vintage started at the end of the first week of February, normal for the region. Towards the end of February a cold front brought rain which was in fact welcome, reducing stress and helping to finish the ripening of shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. These were harvested in dry conditions, without any disease, and are considered to be the best for many years. Rating: W 7 R 9 Greater Perth Zone: Swan District
The Swan District performed as it so often does, with no rain falling in the month before or during vintage, which commenced in late January and finished in early March. Yields were up by 5-10 per cent, but this did not significantly dilute flavour or colour. Cross-regional blends from West Australia were significantly improved by the Swan District contribution. Verdelho and chardonnay produced wines with rich tropical fruit; chenin blanc more towards apple/grassy flavours. Cabernet Sauvignon has excellent colour with soft mid-palate fruit, Shiraz with an abundance of spice and plum flavours. Rating: W 9 R 9 Greater Perth Zone: Perth Hills
The vintage has been described as characterised by one thing - birds. An unusually dry summer, and poor flowering of the red gums, meant intense pressure from silver-eyes and other native predators. Vineyards surrounded by trees lost 60-70 per cent of their grapes, exacerbating already low yields due to the dry conditions. Powdery mildew also made its mark. One or two very good wines were made, but overall this was a vintage from hell. Rating: W 5 R 5 Queensland
Queensland Zone: Granite Belt
Frost is frequently a problem early in the season; this year it was hail, with some vineyards losing up to 70 per cent of their crop. The season then continued warm and dry until 100 mm of rain fell over a four-day period early in February. The rapid development of botrytis forced early picking of the white wines, but the long period of warm days and cool nights which followed resulted in high-quality red wines. Rating: W 5 R 9 Tasmania
Tasmania Zone: Northern Tasmania
The season was an exceptional one, with the prolonged warm, dry growing season resulting in large crops which nonetheless attained full ripeness and (in the case of the reds) excellent colour. Picking of grapes destined for sparkling wine began in the third week of March, and the base wines were excellent. High-quality pinot noir table wine was picked throughout the month of April; merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc followed in late April to early May, with excellent colour, flavour and tannins. Rating: W 9 R 10 Tasmania Zone: Southern Tasmania
A mild, dry spring resulted in good flowering and fruit set. The warm dry summer which then followed allowed the above-average yields to ripen fully. The only problem on the way through was some frost damage due to early budbreak, and a few patches of unusual powdery mildew. The Pinot Noirs are, quite simply, sensational. Rating: W 8 R 9 | 
Aug 24 1998 | Author: James Halliday
