Any 2015 Vintage Progress Reports?

[n4sir]

First confirmed report of smoke taint in the media - that possibily was brought up in the Adelaide Hills fires thread back in January:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14384


Grape growers, Rosemary and Frank Baldasso, lose $200,000 vintage to smoke taint after Sampson Flat fires
ABC News
31 March 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-31/c ... atenews_sa

A husband and wife team who grow grapes in the Adelaide Hills have lost a $200,000 vintage after their grapes tested positive for "smoke taint".

Rosemary and Frank Baldasso's Gumeracha property survived the Sampson Flat bushfire, but testing by the Australian Wine Research Institute has confirmed the smoke has damaged their grapes and they cannot be sold.

She said her business would make no money from the last season and many other growers in the region were in the same boat.

"Every grower of grapes or produce, especially the wine grape in our local vicinity, if their grapes were covered in that acrid smoke for any length of time unfortunately they are all gone," Ms Baldasso said.

The effect of smoke taint on grapes is found during the fermenting process, she explained.

"What I've been told what happens is the leaves and the berries and the plants absorb the smoke compounds if they are sitting in smoke long enough, then eventually when they're fermented, the sugars release those compounds into the fermented liquid," Ms Baldasso said.

"Once those compounds are released into the juice, that juice becomes tainted with those smoke compounds, so to give you a very simple example, if you taste that juice, it tastes like a stale ashtray."

The Baldassos are fortunate to also have an apple orchard on their property, which will help them see through the next 12 months.

But Ms Baldasso said it would be a struggle.

"Fortunately for us, unlike others who have lost everything and don't have a back up, we have a little apple orchard, that is going to help sustain us," she said.

"It's not going to be the entire answer, but it will help to sustain us."

Ms Baldasso said the apples could still be sold and eaten without being affected by the smoke, because the apples would not be fermented and used to produce alcoholic cider.

She has been filling in the necessary paperwork to apply for compensation offered by the Government, but was unsure whether she would qualify.

"It's a waiting game, wait and see if there is any assistance available, because I fully understand that people who lost everything have to have first priority. I don't have an issue with that," Ms Baldasso said.

"And with us, we do have some income coming in, it may not be enough to cover all our costs for the next 12 months, but look, we put our head down, you work, you go through it.

"We're not the only ones, a lot of people out there have been hit harder than we have and my heart goes out to them, and in our case, we are fortunate enough to have other produce on the property that helps us to see through another 12 months, albeit under very difficult circumstances."

[phillisc]

Interestingly, Pikes in the Clare valley started vintage on Feb 8th and have already finished. A most compressed vintage and the earliest start and finish in 30 years.

Cheers
Craig

[Rory]

On the ground viewing and picking over the past couple of weeks on the Mornington Peninsula is that quality is very high to exceptional, great Ph balance. The upper regions had a slightly extended ripening, with reports of lovely tannin ripeness in Pinot and Chardonnay looks excellent.
The quantity is way better than last year, but not over abundant.

From discussions with many of the winemakers, they are cautiously stating it could be one of the best.

[n4sir]

More on smoke taint incidences - it sounds like where it is showing up is fairly random:

Twenty-five Adelaide Hills vineyards test positive to smoke taint but fail to draw compensation
ABC Rural
11 May 2015
Camilla Warner

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-11/s ... s_adelaide

Twenty-five vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, with grapes that have tested positive to smoke taint, are unlikely to receive compensation.

Smoke-affected grapes have been a concern for wineries following the Sampson Flat bushfire, which burnt through thousands of hectares in January.

Adelaide Hills Wine Region president Tom Keelan said growers had not been able to receive financial assistance.

"Nothing other then the government-assisted packages that were worked up for all the fire-affected victims, so nothing specific for our industry" he said.

"It's been a very steep learning curve in this situation, because there were no real specific zones that were affected or not affected.

"It was quite a hit and miss scenario with the smoke taint."

More than 40 vineyards from the area sent grape juice samples to be tested for smoke taint.

Mr Keelan said some wineries missed out on the best harvest in years because of the bushfire.

"Adelaide Hills arguably had one of the best vintages of the last decade," he said.

"Ninety-five per cent of the Adelaide Hills are singing the praises of the 2015 vintage."

[n4sir]

Philip White's thoughts on the end of the 2015 vintage:

drinkster.com
12 May 2015
NOTES FROM A BROKEN SEASON

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2015/05/n ... eason.html

[Scotty vino]

Philip White's thoughts on the end of the 2015 vintage:

drinkster.com
12 May 2015
NOTES FROM A BROKEN SEASON

http://drinkster.blogspot.com/2015/05/n ... eason.html

Always an enjoyable, colourful read.

[Cloth Ears]

From the conversations we had when we were up in Rutherglen a little while back, the 2015 will be both bounteous and delicious.