32 minute read
2022 Vintage Report – warm climate regions
2022
PART 1 WARM REGIONS
Harvest at Olivers Taranga in McLaren Vale. Photo: Nicky Connolly
There have been some positive results reported from this year’s vintage despite diverse conditions being experienced across warm regions. Despite a number of ongoing challenges for producers, overall fruit quality has been high and in many regions it’s being proclaimed that Vintage 2022 is likely to go down as highly regarded.
2022
PART 1
South Australia
McLaren Vale
In the McLaren Vale Wine Region, reports from the wine community have been positive. Vines held condition well due to a cool summer, and winemaking was made easier by gentle ripening conditions. There were key climatic similarities between Vintage 2022 and the preceding Vintage 2021. This bodes well for wine quality as Vintage 2021 is already highly regarded. In comparison, for both Vintages, while it was a wet La Niña influenced year for other parts of Australia, McLaren Vale vineyards received below average rainfall. Both vintages started with above average winter and early spring rains, before experiencing dry conditions throughout summer and autumn, leading to lower rainfall overall. were lower than those of 2021. The lower yields were largely due to cold and windy weather during flowering (mid spring). Additionally, November was about 1.5°C cooler than average. This contributed to a lower percentage of berry set, with less berries per bunch, and explains why yields were lower this vintage. Berry set was lowest for vineyards close to the Gulf of St Vincent where they are most exposed to cold south-westerly winds.
Continuing the parallels between vintages, both had mild summers without heatwave conditions. January and February 2022 recorded no days above 40°C. This produced a gentle and slow ripening period and delayed harvest. Both seasons had late veraison colour change dates and corresponding later harvest dates. Both vintages generally harvested grapes free of botrytis bunch rot which improves the ability of the resultant wine to age in the bottle.
For 2022, harvest dates were similar to 2021. Grape picking took eight weeks to complete starting at full pace in the first week of March and ending in the second week of April. Both vintages were drawn out compared to what has been the recent experience. Overall, we would class Vintage 2022 right up there for quality. Reds have intense, rich and balanced flavours and colours. Whites have pretty aromatics and natural acidity. It may be as well regarded as 2021. Report provided by viticulturist James Hook for McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism.
WARM REGIONS
Barossa Valley
Barossa experienced fantastic winegrape growing conditions this season, with harvest starting around two weeks later than the past 10 years’ average. The majority of the main variety In Barossa Valley, Shiraz, was picked mid to late March and harvest of the higher altitude Eden Valley Shiraz ran into late April, followed by the other main red Barossa varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mataro. Soil moisture during the growing season was optimal, with above average rainfall in June and July – and again in October and November. A 28 October hailstorm was devastating for some growers, whist others had varying degrees of crop loss. Fruit set was patchy in some areas and this, along with the hail damage, has resulted in an average – or slightly below average –winegrape yield. The summer was relatively mild, with only a couple of heatwave periods, so the canopies held up well and ripening conditions have been perfect. Around 20mm of rain fell in early February, which was welcome and contributed to vines functioning healthily. This was followed by a 5-55mm rain event (depending on the area) on 28 February, which was early enough in the ripening season not to cause any damage to the crop. Vintage 2022 will definitely be a soughtafter year for Barossa wines. The reasonably wet winter and spring, followed by mild summer temperatures, has enabled a long, slow ripening period with optimum development of colour, fruit sweetness and tannins in the reds, and crisp, fresh whites. Report prepared by Nicki Robins, viticultural development manager at Barossa Grape & Wine Association
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PART 1
WARM REGIONS
South Australia
Coonawarra
Coonawarra experienced another strong vintage in 2022. With stable conditions, high-quality fruit and moderate to good yields we ended slightly below the longterm average for the region. The vintage start was consistent with whites’ long-term average before moving into Shiraz, finishing with Cabernet in the second half of May. Coonawarra received close to the longterm average rainfall throughout winter. Overall it was a mild growing season, with no prolonged heat waves or hot days—perfect ripening conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon. October and November were cooler than average before warming up in late November, just in time for flowering, resulting in a very even fruit set. The temperature throughout January was slightly above average before returning to the long-term average throughout February and March. The Bonney Upwelling commenced in early February, with the Southern Ocean temperature dropping significantly, moderating the afternoon and night temperature across the Limestone Coast. The ideal flowering conditions and above-average temperature throughout January resulted in all varieties going through veraison quickly. A great sign of a very even year, with minimal variability between bunches and within bunches. Dry conditions continued through summer, and consequently, berries remained small with thick skins.
Coonawarra did receive a couple of rainfall events in mid-spring, which combined with cooler temperatures, reduced the irrigation needs for the remainder of the season, which was beneficial to general vine health. These climatic conditions lead to steady increases in maturity levels, allowing winemakers to pick at optimum levels for ripeness and flavour. Based on the colour and aromas that are coming through in the finished ferments, 2022 points to a good vintage with lovely firm acidity in the whites and good fruit expression and tannins across all reds, which will translate into wines that have good cellaring potential. Cabernet Sauvignon was a standout variety during the 2022 vintage. Report prepared by Ockert Le Roux, executive officer of Coonawarra Vignerons
PART 1
WARM REGIONS
South Australia
Riverland
The 2022 season was mild in terms of weather, and the season started with some early moderate rainfalls in September. Storms on 28 October in some parts of the region, and again in early November, brought hail in some areas. As is often the case with hailstorms, the incidence was very patchy, and while not significant in terms of total regional production it was devastating for the growers affected. Some vineyards had significant areas with posts laid flat and requiring repair. The mild weather carried through to the harvest period, and it was a rare summer with very few days over 40°C. This led to slower ripening across different parts of the region, with some producers reporting a late finish to the vintage. Disease was not a major factor, with some patches of Chardonnay having issues with powdery mildew requiring treatment early in the ripening period. Overall disease issues were limited to regular ‘hot spots’, but it was insignificant in regional terms. There were no reports of major problems with insect pests. The protracted ripening led to fruit being in good condition without damage from heat waves characteristic in previous hot summers. The cool weather caused two major ‘flat spots’ where sugar accumulation stopped, but overall fruit achieved harvest maturity in good condition.
Fruit quality is assessed as being better than 2021 vintage, and the resulting wines very good. Yields were down on the 2021 harvest for red varieties, but at least the same level as last season for white grapes. Most producers are predicting a regional harvest around 10-15% below last year for red varieties, and similar yields for white. This would place the estimated regional production at around 400,000 tonnes. While there were significant setbacks from severe weather events for some growers, there were few incidents of disease or other damage to yield and quality of fruit. Most of the current concerns in the region centre around the combined impacts of the sudden loss of the Chinese wine market and global supply chain disruption. This has impacted not only on wine value and the resulting fruit prices, but also on costs of inputs. The price of red winegrapes in 2022 was typically around half that paid two years ago, and some fertilizer costs more than doubled over the past few years. As a region that is heavily focused on exports, there will be strong focus and hopes of increased market success, and soon.
Many growers and winemakers are looking at the potential for change, both in the product mix and value offering generated from the region. Report prepared by Andrew Weeks, Riverland Wine
WARM REGIONS
State South Australia
Langhorne Creek
Langhorne Creek had a fruitful 2022 vintage and an estimated 38,000 tonnes has been loosely bandied around. Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Incorporated executive officer Lian Jaensch said the association was keeping an eye out for the country wide reports. “We will be interested to see how that compares to the Annual Crush Survey results,” she said. Adding that the yields in Langhorne Creek were expected to be a lower production than Vintage 2021. “[We are] hearing star reports about quality from the region with particular mention of Cabernet Sauvignon, a regional favourite,” Jaensch said. An unusual year of weather impacted the whole country and Langhorne Creek was no different. An early frost event impacted some vineyards (mainly white varieties) and cold wind and rain into flowering led to some uneven fruit set. Lighter Shiraz crops were also noted. An ultimately mild season resulted in a more protracted vintage than has been seen in Langhorne Creek for some years. Fortunately, Langhorne Creek has been spared bushfire impacts. Moderate crop levels and ongoing mild ripening conditions helped balance vineyard uniformity. Consistent water management and light rain during January and February no doubt helped. Pests and disease pressure was reportedly low. Downy mildew was distributed across the region later in the season but did not impact fruit at that point in development. Vine scale is present in the region but the relatively mild and dry summer in Langhorne Creek kept any adverse impacts from the likes of sooty mould at bay. Jaensch said that growers and producers in the region had a hard time dealing with COVID and supply chain issues throughout the year. “There is more pain to come for the industry as a whole from the export and supply chain issues,” she said. “The pandemic meant high vigilance with procedures and testing again this vintage to ensure workforce continuity to get the fruit in and processed. “There is no shying away from the fact it has been a tough year in the industry given the challenges already noted around the pandemic, export and supply chain issues.
“These are not going away anytime soon and growers will be grappling with increased costs and the threat to grape prices and contracts. Wineries too have cost, sales and distribution challenges to meet.
“These are not necessarily new issues but certainly heightened to the pointy end right now. The focus seems soundly set around reducing inputs, sustainable management practices and environmental impact, but all tempered within the rationale of business capacity. “There is beautiful product from the region to be proud of, and this will continue to be so. Inspiration, innovation and resilience will come to the fore, and we look forward to Langhorne Creek remaining a key player in the Australian wine industry.” Report provided by Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine Inc.
PART 1
South Australia
WARM REGIONS
Vintage at Pikes Wines in the Clare Valley. Photo: Nadinne Grace Photography
Clare Valley
Quality was consistently high across both red and white varieties in 2022, a vintage which also recorded strong yields. Cool, dry weather through summer and early autumn provided favourable ripening conditions, producing fruit with good natural acid levels and full varietal flavour.
Winemakers are excited that 2022 Riesling is looking exceptional as the Clare Valley celebrates the 21st birthday of the screw cap closure, an innovation pioneered by the region. It is also an extraordinary year for red varieties which are showing a combination of quality and yield not seen for several years, with Cabernet Sauvignon looking like a real standout. The season in 2021 began with a dry cool autumn which led into good winter rains and above average spring rainfall. The timing of this rain led to decent soil moisture during the growing season even though the annual rainfall was down on average. The cool wet spring delayed budburst slightly and, combined with a cool summer, led to one of the latest starts to the vintage in more than a decade. Flavour ripeness developed before Baume specifications necessitated picking and wineries had time to process the fruit without the capacity issues that occur in a compressed vintage. A couple of frosty nights in midOctober caused some isolated damage and wet conditions through flowering in November led to poor fruit set in some varieties and blocks. But overall, the region escaped damage from fire and hail and as a result reported a total yield of 10-15% up on last year. Early indications estimate a regional yield of 26,000-27,000 tonnes, just slightly above the long-term average. Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association chair Martin Ferguson said the vintage brought good news for wineries and grapegrowers after a hard year for business, shaped by increasing costs of production, labour constraints and market challenges. “We look forward to celebrating vintage 2022 wines in future Clare Valley Wine Shows and the highly anticipated 2022 Riesling spring release,” Ferguson said. Report prepared by Anna Baum, executive officer, Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association
PART 1
New South Wales
WARM REGIONS
Photo: Riverina Winemakers Association
Riverina
Vintage 2022 and the growing season leading up to it has been a challenging time for growers in the Riverina; unfavourable climatic conditions and price reductions in red varieties due to flow on effects from the Chinese tariffs tested the resilience of growers. 317,775 tonnes made it across the weighbridges of local wineries, this was down by 26,630 tonnes on Vintage 2021. White varieties fared better than the reds, with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Traminer all exceeding last vintage intake. Semillon showed the biggest drop with a reduction of 4565 tonnes from 2021.
The red varieties took the brunt of the disease pressure with a drop of 26,630 tonnes on what was picked in 2021. Cabernet Sauvignon intake was down by 14,121 tonnes, and Shiraz was down by 11,612 tonnes. Durif was the standout with 2,003 tonnes more delivered than in 2021, this was due to new plantings coming into production or yield increases on young blocks. Disease pressure was high, especially from downy mildew due to the excess rain that was experienced in the region in late 2021 and early 2022, and botrytis during vintage, especially the latter part. Some blocks were rejected by wineries due to disease issues, as well as some fruit being downgraded to concentrate, so it is difficult to tell what could have been the result had all gone well. While the MIA did not suffer from the effects of bushfires, hail did have an effect with more than six scattered events causing extensive damage to those who were unlucky enough to be in the path of these storms.
At this stage there has been very little feedback from winemakers on grape quality, while growers are hoping for relief form the weather for next growing season, while trying to come to grips with the long-term implications of oversupply that have been caused by the Chinese tariffs. Report prepared by Riverina Winemaker Association CEO Jeremy Cass
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WARM REGIONS
State
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PART 1
WARM REGIONS
New South Wales
Hunter Valley
It’s been a season with similarities to 2021 but overall of higher quality. La Niña once again made for a wet cool season, albeit tempered by wind which kept the canopy and midrow dry enough to allow sufficient spray protection for disease control.
Pokolbin had reached its annual rainfall by the end of November, with November being the wettest on record. We ended up receiving 956mm for 2021. Tyrell’s managing director Bruce Tyrell reflected on the weather in his vintage report and said the vintage had remarkable conditions. “The weather gods continued to smile on us with about 30°C days and a cool dry south easterly wind. I [watched] weather reports and every time it looked like we were going to get a decent dump of rain it either petered out or went around us,” he said. “The amazing thing is the quality of the fruit. It should be rotten and lying on the ground. The bunches [were] still open, and air can get through, and there [was] no sign of rot. Following on from this, below average rainfall for January was very welcome. Yields returned to average following four years of drought but extractions rates were above average. The hallmark of the season was slow, late ripening and natural acidity. It is the latest that we have picked Semillon and Shiraz in my time in the Hunter Valley. Shiraz was mostly picked by the end of February but later ripening blocks and varieties were impacted by further rain. COVID isolation and diagnoses created challenges for producers across the region, Tyrrell adding that having access to mechanical harvesters was a boon in a challenging season for staffing. “The number of pickers has become a problem as almost half of our crew were off in COVID isolation,” Tyrrell said. Report prepared by Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association chair Stuart Horden, with additional information from Bruce Tyrell
PART 1
WARM REGIONS
New South Wales
Mudgee
Wineries and grapegrowers in the Mudgee region of NSW are celebrating what has been a surprisingly excellent vintage. Following on from the similarly difficult vintage of 2021, most winemakers are breathing a sigh of relief, after another high rainfall year creating angst and the potential to lower the crop quality. Luckily, the gods were kind, and gave us some tough but manageable conditions with just enough sun and dry spells to ripen the grapes well. We had more rain in the growing season of 2020/21 than in the 2021/22 season, but a lot less rain in February 2022 with only 49ml recorded, allowing us to keep the fruit clean and to ripen well. The rain produced numerous downy events through the growing season, but luckily most vineyards were vigilant enough to protect the fruit and produce good quality winegrapes leading into harvest.
Congratulations to all the Vignerons who battled through another tough high pest and disease pressure season. There was a late start to harvest in 2022 with the sparkling base Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being picked on the second to third week of February, with early whites being harvested soon after and into early March. Luckily we then had four weeks of relatively drier weather, allowing us to concentrate on ripening red varieties. The cool, slow ripening conditions ensured natural acids were retained, with lower than normal Baume but flavours were able to develop gradually, meaning whites like Riesling and reds like Cabernet Sauvignon are particularly exciting. Most early red varieties including Shiraz were picked on the second and third week of March, before the rain events at the end of March. Vignerons were worried about the later red varieties, and some suffered, but most powered through this rain event and we were lucky to have three weeks of dry weather to harvest the later Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and some later alternative varieties. The highlights of Vintage 2022 in Mudgee look to be early white varieties and Cabernet Sauvignon but rosé is excellent and it seems our Riesling could be the overall star of this vintage. It is exciting to see more batches of alternate red varieties such as Tempranillo, Barbera and Montepulciano and all are looking excellent in barrel. All varieties show excellent natural acidity from the cooler vintage and we were lucky to ripen them with harvest being in the middle of the major rain events and slightly lower cropping levels. Mudgee topography, with elevated and mostly sloping vineyard sites, and being a warm climate region, were the major factors in us having a good vintage. Surprisingly, even in a wetter than normal year, most of the Shiraz is showing good concentration and lightmedium bodied with bright purple colour and displaying cooler spice and nice red fruit characteristics.
With Mudgee cellar doors experiencing a massive influx of tourism and wine lovers, it’s the vintage we needed to fill up our cellars and keep our family owned cellar doors operating at full capacity into the year ahead. Report prepared by Jacob Stein, director and chief winemaker, Robert Stein Winery, Mudgee
Photo: Define Wine Marketing & Communications
PART 1
WARM REGIONS
New South Wales
Canowindra
The 2022 vintage is now safely tucked away in Canowindra in the NSW Central Ranges. The growing season presented numerous challenging moments, with above average rainfall during October and November. Given the wet conditions, the window for actually getting tractors on the vineyard during the critical flowering period was extremely narrow. We only had eight days during November that were dry enough, so it was important to go hard when conditions were suitable. Following an even fruit set it became apparent that downy mildew damage to the vine rachis was causing some berries to abort.
We were pleased with the fruit set and then, as it warmed up, we observed significant rachis scaring. This caused the loss of up to 20% of bunches in the most affected varieties.
The cool and wet conditions continued through to veraison which was two weeks later than average. The ripening period however was comparable with the best we have experienced in our 35 years of growing grapes in the region. Cool conditions, coupled with only 25mm of rain during February and March, allowed for great flavour development across all varieties. “Like everyone in the industry, finding the right staff to help and the threat of COVID derailing the vintage was an ongoing challenge,” Windowrie winemaker Anthony D’Onise said. “We were one of the lucky ones, having an excellent team for vintage ‘22 which allowed us to get the fruit into the winery in pristine condition. “The long, cooler finish to the season ensured that the quality is some of the best we have ever seen. It’s exciting to see how the wines are developing in the winery.” Report provided by Jason O’Dea, Windowrie Estate, Canowindra
WARM REGIONS
Queensland
Steven and Mario Gangemi during vintage at Ballandean Estate on the Granite Belt
Queensland
After the worst drought on record, Queensland has received a drenching that has been compared to Biblical times. Solid rainfalls throughout early spring delivered valuable moisture to the beginning of budburst. Temperatures were a blast from the past with warm days, cool nights and generally mid a 20s maximum right through. No bushfires were reported due to the increase in moisture and water supplies were returned to pre-drought levels. Crop levels increased significantly from the 2021 vintage and bunch sizes were increased by at least 50%. Whites were outstanding with many reporting the best quality in decades and reds on the Granite Belt showed great fruit intensity and silky tannins. Rain began to fall in late February, however the growers who worked on canopy management and vine vitality were handsomely rewarded. Whites are a definite 9/10 and reds in most cases will be 8/10.
We are in for a bleak winter period with a wetter than normal rain event expected. The region is experiencing an incredible increase in visitation with some producers recording up to a 500% increase in cellar door activity. The future is looking great for the district with the region finally being noted for its high quality wines from diverse varieties. Report provided by Mike Hayes, president, Queensland Wine Association
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PART 1
Victoria
Murray Darling and Swan Hill
The 2021-22 growing season was punctuated by a number of rainfall events, rounding off a season that was full of challenges mostly brought upon by Mother Nature. Rainfall in January was almost four times the 50-year average (86.2mm cf. 23.1mm). Fortunately, the majority of the Murray Valley area did not suffer major crop loss due to these weather events. Plenty of water through full allocations and lower pricing in the temporary market allowed growers the solace of focussing on vineyard management without the added distraction of water supply issues. Like most of South-East Australia, the season was very mild, with more rainfall and humidity than normal, many cloudy days and very minimal hot days above 40 degrees. These conditions were the most favourable in many years for the development and onset of powdery mildew, increasing the need for preventative sprays for most growers. Adding to this, cooler soils meant that vine phenology was delayed and so too was nutrient uptake, leading to a season 10-14 days behind average. Harvest started in mid-January and finished in early May, a later finish than the region would expect but signifying the difficulties wineries experienced with available tank space hindering intake scheduling. The various rain events and cooler weather also meant that ripening, particularly for red varieties, was slow. Details of the final crush report are not available at the time of writing, however estimates suggest the crop will be in the range of 320-340,000 tonnes – slightly below the 2019 and 2020 vintages, but well below the significant 400,000 tonne crop produced in 2021. Over the course of the season, thirteen disease alerts were issued for the region from GrowCare via Murray Valley Winegrowers (from data received through MVW’s network of weather stations). Subsequently, there were some small pockets of disease around the district (downy, powdery and botrytis, as well as pressure from light brown apple moth and mealy bug), but generally most growers were able to manage their crop through to harvest. Wineries have indicated the cooler growing season supported good varietal expression of the whites, with aromatics highly evident; whilst reds are noticeably
WARM REGIONS
bright in fruit character – Merlot and alterative varieties being the highlights for vintage 2022. The greatest challenge by far was the difficulty selling red grape varieties, with little interest shown in many uncontracted reds and an estimated 15-20,000 tonnes being left unharvested at the end of vintage. This is heartbreaking for those growers that put their resources into producing a crop that was ultimately unsaleable due to geopolitical and logistics factors well outside of their control.
Fortunately, fifty per cent of grapes grown in the Murray Valley are white varietals, and demand for whites was reasonably strong, although this did not translate into improved prices for many varieties. The reduced demand for red grapes in 2022 saw a collapse in prices, with saleable grapes achieving approximately half what they did only two years ago. Such was the decline in in demand for reds that many wineries resisted “package deals” and were foregoing whites rather than taking unwanted reds with them.
Overall, Vintage 2022 was largely disappointing for growers in the Murray Darling and Swan Hill regions. Having produced another excellent crop but failing to achieve sustainable prices for reds has left many at a juncture and wondering what the future will hold. As always, the year ahead will present an assortment of challenges for growers, but some may be questioning their renowned resilience in the face of the current industry adversity. Report supplied by Murray Valley Winegrowers Inc.
Victoria
Rutherglen
Producers in Rutherglen were pleased with the results of Vintage 2022, which provided progress from 2021 as well as what is expected to be high quality fruit. Based on the last vintage report for 2021 – in which the Rutherglen region crushed roughly 7,000 tonnes – it is estimated that yields increased by approximately 15% to around 8,000 tonnes.
Vintage 2022 was cooler than the average vintage with significant rainfall across the growing season which posed a few challenges in the vineyard and winery. The vintage went against the trend with early budburst, flowering and harvest and with vintage starting later than average. Late spring and early summer were wet and cool resulting in disease pressures impacting to different degrees across the vineyard for early ripening varieties, but also with some excellent quality parcels of fruit such as Durif and Muscat.
With the cooler temperatures and good rainfall, the grapes should retain more acid and be a little more elegant and have fruit vibrancy.
The main challenge was managing vineyard disease (botrytis and mildew) due to frequent rain events across the growing season. Rain events throughout the summer posed several challenges in terms of disease pressure and grapes splitting resulting in some fruit unable to be harvested.
Additional time in the vineyard was necessary to mitigate the risk of disease, with canopy management practices such as side trimming aiding airflow through the vines.
Report provided by Greg Ley, Stanton & Killeen Wines, Rutherglen
PART 1
Western Australia
Margaret River
Although summer has been warmer by about a degree statewide on average, the good rains during the 2021 winter and warm dry weather over summer were welcome return to a favourable weather pattern for Vintage 2022. We experienced very hot conditions in December, January and February. Both minimum and maximum temperatures were significantly above average. Grape quality was excellent throughout the season and throughout the varieties with near perfect weather and virtually no disease pressure. Even the short episode of wet weather coming around Shiraz picking time seemed well-timed to finish the red ripening. Opportunities were wide open for stylistic choices in the picking dates. I’d expect 2022 to be remembered and tasted as a fantastic harvest for the region. In vineyards, most outfits seem to deal with COVID quite well, with only minor delays, being able to work at good distances and with increased machine sanitation protocols. The impact seemed higher in wineries, notably with groups of cellar hands/ whole shifts sick at the same time. The community spirit really kicked in with volunteers jumping in to help along the process and great attention to sanitation and safety rules. Labour shortages were difficult from pruning to harvest. Growers struggled to access staff and the cost of labour put pressure on operations. Access to necessary agricultural inputs was difficult and prices increased weekly. We expect the supply and costs of labour, and goods and services to continue to be difficult.
Minor hot spells around Christmas and four weeks later in January were well managed with irrigation and reduced canopy manipulations (leaf-plucking) resulting in favourable cropping levels, with only very minor losses to sunburn and vine stress. Full phenological ripeness seems to be a standout in the white varieties and perhaps also with the upcoming red varieties which sustained and steady berry metabolism will result in great seed ripeness, a full spectrum varietal flavour at lower baumes and good acid retention.
Hand-picks for Chardonnay and labour availabilities were a challenge due to lack of labour in the region, resulting in reliance on in-house resources to overcome the challenge. The sustained summer weather resulted in a narrower picking window than usual, however a cooler change in the night temperatures in late February and early March have helped spread the northern and southern fruit intakes, as post veraison they looked to all be coming on at once. Report prepared by Chris Gillmore, company viticulturist, Clairault Streicker, and Margaret River executive officer Amanda Whiteland.
WARM REGIONS
Western Australia
Geographe
Excellent quality across the reds for the 2022 vintage with lots of “rich flavours and balanced acids” are the words Mark Cumbers, winemaker at Vineyard 28, to describe this year’s vintage in Geographe. The Geographe region was fortunate to not be impacted by any bushfire activity this vintage, nor was there significant impact from disease pressure or insect activity. Thankfully there was little to no powdery mildew and very little botrytis compared to previous years. Across the region the Marri trees flowered strongly early on, with some vineyards that harvested later on in the season feeling the bird pressure as the blossom was already gone, and damage was evident in those vineyards that were un-netted.
Compared to last year’s vintage, which saw a cooler lead up, this season suffered a hot start to the summer. However, the wet spring that preceded it provided us with a more normal season, keeping the ground cool and allowing for slow ripening. Vintage got underway in the north of the region during the first week of February, and we saw the last harvest occurring in mid-April for those making fortified styles. Yields were a little up from last year across the breadth of the Geographe region, with the average yield sitting slightly higher than 2021. Chardonnay and Grenache yields were down overall this year, with low bunch weights. There were some concerns around the acids this year, with the worry that the acids would drop out with the heat, however most whites were fresh, and the reds ripened nicely. “The 2022 ripening period started perfectly with weeks of uninterrupted sunny days that helped all white varieties to be harvested at optimum ripeness,” Stuart Pierce, winemaker at Harvey River Estate said.
“With the whites all in and taken care of, it was now up to Mother Nature to look out for the reds.
“As it happened the weather did hold out for some time, though the weather outlook became more uncertain due to the unpredictable nature of severe storm activity coming down from the north. “Holding out the reds for as long as possible were nervous times, as high rainfall events did take place and bird damage become increasingly evident. “Thankfully some lengthy periods of open blue skies allowed the opportunity for the reds to be harvested with full flavours and ripe tannins.” Geographe like most regions was concerned about having sufficient resources to harvest the grapes, especially since many of our vineyards are picked by hand. Last year’s Geographe Grape Pickers Facebook page, where local growers put the call out to community members whenever harvest workers were required, was repeated for vintage 2022, again proving to be very successful. Our growers are extremely grateful to the local population for their community spirit and enthusiasm. Report prepared by Geographe Wine Region chair Preeti Nirgude
Images: Frances Andrijich Photographer
Peel
The 2022 Vintage for Peel was quite difficult. Warm dry conditions generally meant very little disease impact, however the extreme heatwave with six days over Christmas above 40 degrees, caused very significant losses (in some cases total), particularly to white and earlier ripening varieties. More inland the effect was not quite as marked. Generally, red varieties were less affected but overall yields were down, but quality of fruit was good. A most challenging year overall. Report by Bernie Worthington, Peel Wine Association
