Hottest vintage for 20 years in Australia

2010 has been the hottest vintage of the last 20 years in Australia, according to the Tappenings newsletter from Tapanappa Wines.

Given the heat, this year’s harvest was picked earlier than normal to avoid over-ripeness. While promising “honest flavoursome wines”, Tapanappa founder Brian Croser suggested that there might be less structural acidity and “fruit finesse” of recent cooler years.

The results will not, however, be consistent across the country. While being the hottest vintage on record, 2010 did not have any damaging heat waves that crippled the vines in previous hot years like 2008 and 2009.

As a result, the warmer wine growing areas (Barossa and McLaren Vale, for example) will boast a good 2010 vintage and the characteristic ripe fruit of the region will be at its best.

However, cooler areas, such as Piccadilly Valley, Fleurieu Peninsula and Wrattonbully, could struggle to produce delicate, fresh and acidic fruit due to the unusually high temperatures.  

Commenting on Australia’s ability to cope with the possibility of yet warmer vintages due to climate change, Croser said: “The majority of the fine wine growing regions in Australia are in the continental south eastern area, adjacent to the globe’s biggest heat buffer, the Great Southern Ocean.” In addition, the south east of the country receives more rainfall than any other region in the country bar the tropical north. 

In fact, 24 of the 62 wine regions in Australia are as cool – if not cooler – than Bordeaux.

Croser also noted that Australia seems to be emerging from its drought period of the past five years, entering a wetter and cooler stage.

Finally, despite the record-breaking consistent high temperatures of 2010, the corresponding vintage does not look set to be an exceptional or prolific year.

Marinel FitzSimons, 11.08.2010