The corks are not popping in Australia over the Millennium vintage, although a late burst of warm weather saved many regions from total doom and gloom. With early crops from thousands of acres of new vineyards coming on stream, initial expectations were well over the record levels set in 1999. That didn’t eventuate, so, instead of celebrating a national crop approaching 1.3 million tonnes, latest estimates put the harvest around 1.15 million tonnes. At least internal fears of an over-supply of Australian wine have been put on hold for another year. Unseasonal November and December rains during flowering resulted in poor fruit set and reduced crops in many large regions like the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. If that wasn’t enough, one of the hottest January-February periods over midsummer in over a century of records further shrank yields by reducing berry growth. Then heavy rains in late February brought fruit splitting problems and fungal disease issues. Fortunately the later more southerly regions then got out of jail with a late Indian summer prior to harvest, keeping disease and splitting problems down to a minimum. New South Wales New South Wales experienced both extremes of the season, the Hunter Valley having one of its driest, hottest and greatest years on record, even better than 1998 for shiraz, while its legendary semillons will be a little fleshier than usual. With rains before and during harvest, Mudgee’s hopes were virtually washed away. A disaster for its traditionally thick reds and punchy chardonnays. The Riverlands, responsible for much of Australia’s cheaper chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, didn’t fare as badly as some, but crops were down. South Australia Led by the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, where many crops were down by as much as 40-60%, South Australia’s traditional warmer regions had a tough time ripening their reduced yields. Extreme heat caused sugar levels to rise off the scale before flavours had a chance to develop, so there won’t be as much top shiraz or cabernet with the usual Australian richness. Making matters worse, Tropical Cyclone Steve dumped over two inches of rain on the McLaren Vale’s stressed, soft-skinned fruit, bringing on the downy mildew. Clare experienced much the worst of South Australia’s heat and many growers didn’t have the water to keep their riesling and shiraz vines ticking. Coonawarra and the state’s south east had a better time ripening fruit, even if poor crops made it hard to find cabernet grapes at some vineyards. Tasmania Being cooler and later than virtually the entire mainland, Tasmanian vineyards experienced one of their warmest and most consistent ripening seasons on record. Victoria Brought on early by the heat, the Yarra Valley’s season is perhaps a forgettable one, again finding it difficult to ripen reduced yields. Better sites on the Mornington Peninsula should have some fine pinot noir, while the big dry in central and western Victoria is likely to make portier, jammier shiraz and cabernet than usual. The fortified muscats and tokays from the state’s north east simply revelled under the hot sun. Western Australia Margaret River cabernets have done especially well in 2000 and provided the fruit was adequately shaded, its chardonnays and semillon sauvignon blanc blends should look smart as well. Mount Barker and the Great Southern had a poor, wet year and Pemberton’s fruit should be riper than usual.
