Thankfully, the heat is over. Winemakers can now count the cost of one of the hottest of all Australian summers. Only time will tell, but early indications suggest that the season will more resemble the patchy 1989 vintage than the opulent 1990. In hotter, earlier-ripening regions sugar levels soared well in advance of flavour, while in the smaller-producing ‘cool’ climates, vines simply closed up shop. Fortunately in many cooler regions the heatwave struck well prior to veraison, leaving vignerons marvelling that despite one of the most searing ripening seasons on record, the 1997 vintage is actually later than that of the genuinely cool 1996. Sadly, it would appear, Australia will have to wait another year for a plentiful, high quality red wine season. In the meantime one might assume that quality reds will be even more scarce than they have been for the last three years. This issue of OnWine has a distinctly nationalistic flavour, covering our still-maligned indigenous sparkling red wines and the evolution of what the industry now regularly describes as the ‘WA Classic’, a term to cover the intensely fruit-driven, flavoursome non-chardonnays of the West. I have also taken the liberty to spell out a few home truths about unwooded chardonnay. Why so many people drink the stuff at the price they cost is simply beyond my ken. Nevertheless, I must keep trying them in the hope that I can find another to add to the especially short list of those I feel confident to recommend. Don’t hold your breath waiting for the next hot tip. The next issue will contain a more detailed Australian vintage report. Good drinking,
