The Barossa is crowing now that the 1998 vintage is safely in tank, barrel and even bottle. A dry summer and a short heatwave in late February and early March then turned milder with cool days and nights. It’s my bet that while the heat may have been sufficiently intense to compromise some elegance from Eden Valley and Barossa floor whites, the shiraz and cabernet-based red wines from the entire Barossa region will be something truly extra-dimensional.



