Tag: harvest

Austrian Wine: The 2024 Vintage – Ripe Wines, Small Harvest

After the weather proved to be particularly capricious during 2024, including late frosts, hailstorms and heavy rain, the year ended on a conciliatory note with a very beautiful late summer and autumn. Winemakers managed to bring in the majority of the main harvest in favourable conditions. Although harvest volumes were low, the wines they produced are very pleasing. In general, we can expect well-ripened, balanced white wines that display fine fruit, body and moderate acidity, clearly reflecting the typical varietal characteristics. The deep-coloured, concentrated red wines are expected to mature into an outstanding vintage that is likely to be one of the very best of the last few decades.

The vintage 2024 promises well-ripened, balanced white wines and concentrated red wines that are expected to mature into an outstanding vintage.

Weather conditions in 2024

In contrast to most previous years, sufficient rain fell during the relatively warm peak period of winter 2024. Spring followed, living up to its name with glorious weather in early April, marked by cloudless skies and high temperatures. This caused the vines to bud extremely early, which always brings with it a certain risk. This year was no exception with the dreaded late frosts striking in the second half of April, leading to a lower harvest volume.

However, the frosts varied greatly from one region to the next. While the frosts only struck the lower vineyards in most regions, they also damaged premium vineyards in the Kamptal and in certain parts of the Wachau and the Thermenregion. The necessary rain set in in all regions towards the end of May and beginning of June. Due to early budding, this precipitation coincided with the equally early flowering of the vines in most wine-growing regions. This led to coulure, which also caused a reduction in yields later on.

From the second half of June, high temperatures meant that the ripening process advanced rapidly. In Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) and Burgenland, these temperatures lasted almost the entire summer, up to the beginning of September. Some regions had virtually no rainfall. Unfortunately, the exception to this were localised storms including heavy hail, which struck the wine-growing villages east of Lake Neusiedl, several municipalities in Steiermark (Styria) and the north-western part of the Weinviertel. The final blow came in the form of a massive hailstorm that hit the Nussberg in Wien (Vienna) at the end of August, just before the harvest began. After September got off to an oppressively hot start, eastern Austria saw a dramatic change in the weather in the middle of the month. Heavy rainstorms lasted as long as four days in some places, bringing an unprecedented amount of rain and catastrophic flooding. This primarily affected the Niederösterreich wine-growing regions north of the Danube and the wine-growing enclaves of Oberösterreich (Upper Austria). The regions south of the Danube and northern Burgenland suffered significantly less. Because of the warm summer weather, ripening was fortunately well advanced by this stage, meaning that many winegrowers managed to bring in most of their grapes before being hit by the heavy rain. However, even the grapes harvested after the rain were in perfect condition, with a high level of sugar ripeness. Many winegrowers harvested healthy but relatively small, loosely clustered grapes with thick skins and a low juice content. Combined with the adverse weather conditions mentioned above, such as late frosts, coulure and, in some places, extreme dryness in the summer, this resulted in a significantly reduced harvest volume, which is considerably lower than the average of recent years.

Overall – The 2024 vintage was a roller-coaster ride for Austrian winemakers with late frosts, hail storms and torrential rain sometimes testing them to the limit. Harvest volumes suffered as a result, yet the wines they produced are very pleasing. The white wines are well-balanced and approachable, with attractive fruit, body and moderate acidity. The deep-coloured, concentrated red wines are expected to mature into an outstanding vintage that is likely to be one of the very best of the last few decades.

Full report can be found at https://www.austrianwine.com/the-2024-vintage

Sources: Austrian Wine / Robert Herbst

Chile’s 2024 harvest: Yields low and high quality

A mild winter impacted Chile’s northern and centre-southern regions quite differently. Overall, yields are lower, but quality remains high.

The 2023/2024 season has been another unusual one for Chile. In contrast to the extreme summer of the 2023 vintage, this season has been marked by mild temperatures. But the really striking thing about harvest 2024 was the contrasting impacts of the weather on the north and the rest of the country.

Ocean impact
With the El Niño phenomenon in transition during 2023, ‘temperatures in the Pacific rose 1–1.5 degrees,’ says Marcelo Papa, technical director at Concha y Toro. ‘In Chile that meant a mild winter, resulting in varied budding patterns. The high ocean temperature created greater cloud cover, less direct sunlight and rainy winters. These conditions continued after budding, resulting in slow ripening.’

A tale of two harvests
Andrea Calderón Vásquez, the oenologist at 1865 Wines which has vineyards in Elqui and Limarí in the north; in Leyda, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Lontué (Curicó Valley) in central Chile; and in Malleco Chile’s – southernmost wine region, said: ‘It was like there were two harvests in Chile, one for the north and another for the central and southern regions.

‘For the northern harvest, I had to return from my holidays early, but I could have taken a second holiday while we waited for the southern harvest.’

In the north of Chile, the harvest was brought forward by between 15 and 20 days. From Santiago to the south, grape picking began 20 days later than usual.

North: quick and dry
In Limarí, ‘the winter was short and mild, causing vines to bud three weeks earlier than usual’, said Héctor Rojas, viticulturist at Tabalí. The rainfall in the south didn’t reach the north – the South Pacific High (a high-pressure system that can slow wet weather) resulted in a dry season for northern vineyards. Water shortages meant limited irrigation, which resulted in yields approximately 20% lower than usual.

Other producers in Limarí reported that the increased cloud cover was beneficial in the face of such dry weather, preventing overripeness in varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

High summer temperatures in Elqui brought ripening forward. Gabriel Mustakis, winemaker for San Pedro labels such as Kankana del Elqui and Tierras Moradas said: ‘The harvest occurred up to 15 days earlier than usual in Elqui. Fruit development occurred more rapidly, with greater sugar accumulation, excellent concentration, higher alcohol levels and balanced ripeness.’

The centre and the south: slow and wet
Aurelio Montes, of Viña Montes in Colchagua, said that 2023/2024 was ‘one of the strangest seasons I’ve seen as an oenologist. Winter 2023 had high temperatures and high rainfall. A cold, damp spring resulted in weak fruitset and fewer berries. Summer continued the trend of low temperatures, further delaying growth and ripening’.

‘Almost Bordelais’
In Maipo, overall the year was ‘decidedly cold and cloudy, with low sunlight. It was almost Bordelais’, said Papa. The cool end to 2023 was followed by high summer temperatures in January and February, resulting in gradual, uneven ripening. Earlier-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Franc were delayed by two to three weeks; yields for later-ripening varieties such as Carmenère were impacted by the cool spring. Thankfully, the end result was balanced; Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère both have moderate to low alcohol levels, elegant tannins and good freshness.

Sebastián Ruíz Flano, winemaker at Viña Tarapacá in Maipo, is quite enthusiastic about the 2024 harvest. ‘Harvest began 15–17 days later than usual but we’re happy with the results; the alcohol stayed low and the tannins are incredible. Fruit health was excellent because the rain held off, allowing us to harvest at just the right time. It was a great season.’

Vásquez added that in the coastal region of Leyda, ‘the cold spring impacted fruitset, producing lower yields. Uneven development steadied out in summer and we harvested on a date similar to previous years. Sparse bunches and prevalent local breezes resulted in healthy fruit’.

The southernmost Chilean wine region of Malleco experienced the same cool spring and delayed fruit development, but also heavy rainfall – 60mm fell in two days in March, triple the weekly average. Overall, the season was damp and cold, resulting in Pinot Noir with lower alcohol levels and good acidity.

It’s certainly been another strange year for Chilean winemakers, in different ways. Ultimately, yields for the 2024 vintage are 10 to 15% below average but, despite the unusual weather, quality expectations are high.

Source: Wine Business

Domaine Lafage (Roussillon) first to start harvest in France

Jean-Marc Lafage, renowned winemaker from Roussillon’s Domaine Lafage, made history as the first producer to start harvesting in France this year. Lafage’s picking season commenced August 2nd in what has been a particularly dry year for the region. Despite the challenges posed by the drought, Jean-Marc remains optimistic about the quality of their harvest.

The first grapes to be harvested were Muscat à Petits Grains – these are used to create a lower-alcohol dry white blend called Miraflors. This blend also includes Macabeo and Colombard grapes, resulting in a wine with an ABV of approximately 10.2%. Lafage describes Miraflors as having a slight fizz, creating a light and refreshing style.

Regarding the growing conditions this year, Lafage notes that Roussillon experienced a severe drought. The region received only a third of its average rainfall over the past 20 years, with Domaine Lafage recording a total of just 200mm for 2023. However, Lafage states that their vineyards near the sea or high in the mountains fared relatively well.

In contrast, vineyards in areas between the coast and mountains, which traditionally produce fortified wines, faced significant challenges. Lafage anticipates losing up to 60% of the crop in these vineyards. But where regenerative viticulture techniques have been applied, such as permanent ground cover and no tilling of the soil, yields are expected to be higher.

Lafage highlights the success they have observed in vineyards practicing regenerative viticulture and utilizing biochar and cover crops. He states, “In these places, instead of losing 60% of the crop [due to desiccation], we are seeing maybe a 25-30% reduction [in yields], and we see fresh grapes and bigger berries.” The presence of a cover crop has resulted in berries that are nearly twice the size compared to other areas, weighing around 0.8-1 grams per berry compared to 0.5g elsewhere. Lafage attributes this difference to the ability of the cover crop and biochar to help the soil retain water.

In terms of quality, Lafage believes that in vineyards where the vines did not suffer excessive heat stress, they may harvest the best grapes they have ever had. Furthermore, these fully ripe berries have achieved lower sugar levels, resulting in an ABV of 12.5% to 13% yet retaining the same flavor as fruit that would typically be harvested at 14-15.5% ABV.

Lafage also notes that their vineyards in Roussillon have been fortunate to not experience mildew, unlike other parts of France such as Gascony and Bordeaux. The constant wind and arid conditions in the area have helped protect the vines.

South African viticulturists predict a smaller 2023 harvest

South African viticulturists and producers are predicting a smaller 2023 wine grape crop following a “healthy, yet dry season.”

This is the second consecutive year the grape crop is expected to be lower than the previous year, after 2022’s challenging harvest due to the uprooting of vineyards causing a decline in the overall vineyard area.

“At this very early stage the net decrease in the estimate is mainly attributed to all our growing regions that have experienced a drier season, except for the Northern Cape which has had its own difficult environmental conditions during and after the harvest,” said Conrad Schutte, manager of Vinpro’s team of viticulturists who issue the crop estimates with the industry body SAWIS.

“Poor flowering and set in various areas, together with the uprooting of vineyards, also contributed to the decrease in our estimate for the 2023 harvest.”

In the Northern Cape, where unseasonably wet and rainy conditions are said to have characterized the season, vines budded on a minimal reserve status and from the beginning, fewer bunches were formed. Foliage also grew poorly and even stopped temporarily in some instances.

In the rest of the regions, flowering conditions were reportedly good to outstanding. Few diseases and pests occurred, but the general average rainfall was lower in most regions compared to the previous year, which will impact berry sizes, especially in the dryland regions, thus influencing the total grape production.

“The season looks promising, but a lot could change leading up to the harvest,” Schutte added.

The next crop estimate by viticulturists and producer cellars will be released in the third week of January 2023.

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OIV Report: Average Volumes for Vintage 2022

World wine production in 2022 is again expected to be slightly below average, with differences between the individual winegrowing zones and countries. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) forecasts global production of between 257.5 and 262.3m. hl of wine and must in 2022. There will be regional differences in harvest volumes, but the market surplus will remain.

The average value of 259.9 mill. hl is about 1% below the previous year’s quantity. However, the OIV points out that no information is yet available from China and Russia.

Europe is the heart of global viticulture. The EU alone accounts for 60% of world wine production and production volume is expected to be average, with Italy, France, Romania and Germany, among others, reporting higher harvest volumes than last year. In contrast, Spain, Greece and Portugal have harvested rather low volumes.

In the USA, a slightly lower harvest volume than in 2021 has been reported; 23.1 mill. hl are expected. This would be 4% below the previous year and 6% below the 5-year average, the second lowest volume in the last five years.

After the record year of 2021, the wine-growing countries in the southern hemisphere produced average quantities overall this time, with almost all countries producing less than in the previous year – except for New Zealand, where after a poor harvest in the previous year, this time the largest production quantity ever (3.8 mill. hl, 44% above the previous year) came onto the market. Overall, the southern hemisphere is responsible for about 21% of world wine production in 2022.

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Source:  OIV