What is the prospect for Southern regions 2005 vintage given the extensive wet Summer. I would have thought the rain so late in the season would be a disaster and after so many dry years with Indian Summers this will be a huge challenge.
Colin
2005 Southern Vintage Conditions
2005 Southern Vintage Conditions
Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter. Sermons and soda water the day after.
Rain Rain Go away
Colin,
You are not joking! We had 163mm of rain on our Parola's vineyard and 135mm on our Rutherglen one.
It was a bit damp for a while.
Having said that, there was a bit of split in the early varieties, which has since dried up. If we were to get more rain it would be a disaster, or we might have a very quiet vintage.
There would be no point in taking lots of poor fruit. We always take a bit of outside fruit, it spreads our risk in a year like this! So we are happier to harvest fruit onto ther ground rather than wreck our reputation.
Its what the whole district should have done in 1989, our last wet year.
The wet years in Rutherglen have been 05 (maybe) 89,74,56 so thats only 4 in the last 50 years....which is pretty good odds really.
Lets not count it out yet, 93 started a bit wet and ended up pretty good, and our soils are exceptionally well drained and ventilated, with great open canopies on very wide rows. Which is why we've had only a bit of damage. An Indian Summer, long dry and hot is still possible, but I've got to say, not very likely.
Cheers
Smithy
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