The debate over who made first wine of the millennium thickens. Californian winery Greenwood Ridge has released a ‘very, very, very Late Harvest White Riesling’ to be named ‘Year of the Dragon’ which was made from grapes harvested on January 1, 2000. Although the time difference between this harvest and the widely publicised efforts of Dr Richard Smart and Bill Calabria prevents it from being a serious contender for the title, it’s worthy of note that these grapes would usually have been harvested in late October. Slow maturity followed by a very warm, dry December helped the fruit hang out for an extra ten ‘nerve-wracking’ weeks. Only 400 cases were produced and the wine sells for $US20 per half-bottle. Mail the winery on [email protected] if you’re interested.
