The Auswine Forum

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This is just what I've heard, and I'm certainly no authority:
Hunter Valley has had a vintage to forget, particularly for reds. Most of the whites should be ok, but Shiraz has not fared well. Just way too wet for way too long. Hail as well.
Southern NSW was probably faring ok until this recent deluge of rain and widespread flooding. It came at a bad time, but some producers may actually come out of it with something. It's a vast area.
Further south in Yarra Valley it's been a cool vintage overall, and they're currently under pressure as they're still seeing relatively low baumés. If they have a period of relatively warm weather from here on, they should be ok.
From what I have heard, Mornington Peninsula have had a reasonably difficult vintage with frequent stormy weather and significant rain at times. I don't know if it has affected the entire region however. I'm guessing that most producers down there would like to see some dry weather from here on.
Further west in central Victoria I believe it's been a cool vintage. Baumés on Shiraz appear to be lowish still there, but they're getting close to harvest. Some dry warm weather would be welcome.
The only other region I know is Margaret River which I suspect has had a reasonably warm vintage, possibly quite compressed like some recent vintages. Compared to other parts of the country, it's been very good.

Others on here may be better informed than me, though, on most of this.

There was a thread last month with various reports about the progress of vintage 2012 in South Australia:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12430

Generally what I've heard/read since then across SA has been along the same lines - yields are well down, quality is up. Some areas have been picked a few weeks early (McLaren Vale & Coonawarra come to mind) but the Winemakers are really impressed with the flavours, pH, etc. Reminds me a little of 2005 the way everything seems to have come in all at once from the various SA regions instead of the usual staggering process.

The hailstorm in Clare late last year was pretty much an isolated incident, not hitting many vineyards - they seemed pretty excited about the quality of the riesling being picked last month, but as I mentioned yields are down. Same with the reds - Tim Adams is thrilled in the quality of the Shiraz coming in, but 600Kg/acre isn't much to go around.

What little rain we've had in the last month has been more of a benefit than a hindrance, freshening things up with ample breezes/winds reducing the thread of disease compared to last year - that said, with a story yesterday that Lake Eyre was getting near capacity again, I think those with fruit still out there will want to get it in soon as this is usually a sign that there's heavier rain to come.

Cheers,
Ian

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Here in the West - another fantastic summer. Another great vintage for WA!

Sorry you easterners.

For once, I can speak first hand!

Victoria is as mixed as one could imagine. Intermittent rains of varying ferocity have combined with a truly freakish summer to provide.....nothing that applies generally. There are folks in the Yarra Valley who lost everything back in Nov/Dec, and neighbours who went well.

Up in Heathcote last week, there were areas that humidity blessed with downy mildew back in November, and they're down some 75%. And yet 20km away, some of the healthiest bunches I've ever seen. It's a bloody raffle.

Finally, I stopped by to find harvest apace at one of my favourites, Lethbridge Estate last Sunday. While narrowly avoiding treading grapes, I grabbed Ray Nadeson to ask how he felt about 2012. The look of delerium on his face spoke loudly - "it's just great, all of it!" he said.

From what I can glean, there's going to be some great wines, but the devil will be in the geographic detail.

Australian floods blight vintage in Riverina
decanter.com
Monday 26 March 2012
by James Lawrence

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/ ... n-riverina

Wine growers in the Riverina district of Australia are recovering from a series of 'unprecedented' floods, which have blighted an otherwise promising 2012 vintage.

Vintage among the best
ABC News Adelaide
Rosemary Tierney
Updated April 16, 2012 10:12:17

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-14/q ... section=sa

Winemakers in the McLaren Vale region say the vintage will be the best in many years.

Malo-mad wrote:Here in the West - another fantastic summer. Another great vintage for WA!

Sorry you easterners.

Agreed. This makes 6 in a row, I think, for MR, following the coolest year on record in 2006.

Thank God for irrigation, though

I think in NZ and im certainly not totally up with the play but in the most general terms 2012 in Otago was excellent and the rest of the country problematic

Just got in from a day trip to clare.
Both Eldredge and kilikanoon are very happy with quality of fruit brought in, though yields a tad lower than average.
Kilikanoon reckon best in ages though reds won't be ready till 2015.

Craig(NZ) wrote:I think in NZ and im certainly not totally up with the play but in the most general terms 2012 in Otago was excellent and the rest of the country problematic

I hear the same thing - untimely rain everywhere in NZ except Central Otago. What I saw first hand across the easter weekend was the preparation for a rushed vintage, as the weather remained warm right through April and Brix levels were starting to rise quickly. A bit of botrytis about too - we cleaned some out of one of Auburns fruit sources on Easter Monday.

Cheers

Andrew

In the Barossa yields were lower than hoped for but quality of the reds where I work have been outstanding. Certainly wasn't a wet vintage here, couple of worrying moments early on with rain but it didn't seem to affect things too much. A sign of a good year where I work is how many batches make it into barrel to complete the ferment and this year we almost had a record number, so 2012 is looking like one of the picks as far as reds go.

andrewS4 wrote:In the Barossa yields were lower than hoped for but quality of the reds where I work have been outstanding. Certainly wasn't a wet vintage here, couple of worrying moments early on with rain but it didn't seem to affect things too much. A sign of a good year where I work is how many batches make it into barrel to complete the ferment and this year we almost had a record number, so 2012 is looking like one of the picks as far as reds go.

Glad to say that my earlier prediction for rain and a seasonal change mid-last month was wrong and we've had a rather nice, Indian summer which should have perfectly ripened any grapes still out there in SA.

The garden's a little confused though - the soursobs were up over a month early and have gone into a hold pattern when the weather warmed up again, while the orange tree thinks it's spring and decided to start flowering again!

Cheers,
Ian

Wineries toast vintage crop
From: The Advertiser
Nigel Austin
April 23, 2012 11:00PM

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/wineries- ... 6336570278

WINE regions across South Australia are trumpeting one of the best vintages for many years.

Renowned SA winemaker Robert O'Callaghan describes it as one of the three best vintages in his 42 years in the Barossa Valley.

At a master class yesterday as part of Tasting Australia, I asked about the 2011 vs. 2012 Coonawarra vintages.
Three attending wine makers stated that no premiums would be coming from the 2011 vintage..period.
However, buy as much as you can from 2012.

Cheers
Craig.

Just a quick one on thoughts about Mornington in 2012...

Testing early...lots of spraying. Then improved conditions post-Christmas, yet still a lateish harvest in the cooler regions (Red Hill area) with picking continuing into April.

One important feature this year was the dramatic fall in quantity of fruit (esp Pinot Noir): as much as 50% less than 2011. The vines put a lot of energy into growth... The general feeling is: well managed vineyards should have excellent quality fruit, leading to good wines...although in small quantities.

Simon1980

Small sample I know, but the two wineries I visited in the Adelaide Hills yesterday both commented extremely favourably on the 2012 vintage. This was in the context of frank discussions about the wines, not a marketing spiel.

Cheers

Michael

Wizz wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:I think in NZ and im certainly not totally up with the play but in the most general terms 2012 in Otago was excellent and the rest of the country problematic

I hear the same thing - untimely rain everywhere in NZ except Central Otago. What I saw first hand across the easter weekend was the preparation for a rushed vintage, as the weather remained warm right through April and Brix levels were starting to rise quickly. A bit of botrytis about too - we cleaned some out of one of Auburns fruit sources on Easter Monday.

Cheers

Andrew

April has been a lot better especially around Auckland (and no doubt other regions I havent paid too much attention) with a massive anticyclone hanging around for basically 2+ weeks. We have had some settled weather until yesterday. This may help some varieties in some sites. It wont be a classic top vintage though. No doubt some wineries who have been lucky with the weather timings, have forgivable sites (soil, slope, aspect, drainage) and have picked at the right time, and have varieties that ripen at a kind time will make some good wine.

In the meantime we can just spend our money on the stellar Auckland 2010's, grab a few extras and go light on 2011/2012

Michael McNally wrote:Small sample I know, but the two wineries I visited in the Adelaide Hills yesterday both commented extremely favourably on the 2012 vintage. This was in the context of frank discussions about the wines, not a marketing spiel.

Cheers

Michael

One way of testing this out is to bring up the subject of the 2011 vintage, and see if they volunteer to tell just how bad the resulting wines are. I've heard some genuinely (and refreshingly) frank discussions about that particular subject.

Cheers,
Ian

Craig(NZ) wrote:

Wizz wrote:

Craig(NZ) wrote:I think in NZ and im certainly not totally up with the play but in the most general terms 2012 in Otago was excellent and the rest of the country problematic

I hear the same thing - untimely rain everywhere in NZ except Central Otago. What I saw first hand across the easter weekend was the preparation for a rushed vintage, as the weather remained warm right through April and Brix levels were starting to rise quickly. A bit of botrytis about too - we cleaned some out of one of Auburns fruit sources on Easter Monday.

Cheers

Andrew

April has been a lot better especially around Auckland (and no doubt other regions I havent paid too much attention) with a massive anticyclone hanging around for basically 2+ weeks. We have had some settled weather until yesterday. This may help some varieties in some sites. It wont be a classic top vintage though. No doubt some wineries who have been lucky with the weather timings, have forgivable sites (soil, slope, aspect, drainage) and have picked at the right time, and have varieties that ripen at a kind time will make some good wine.

In the meantime we can just spend our money on the stellar Auckland 2010's, grab a few extras and go light on 2011/2012

A bit of misinformation being spread around here. Marlborough until a couple of days ago had had about one day of rain in the last six or so weeks. It has been the best Autumn for years after an ordinary summer and there will be some perfectly decent wines coming through. The savs could well be quite smart, other varieties more variable.

n4sir wrote:

Michael McNally wrote:Small sample I know, but the two wineries I visited in the Adelaide Hills yesterday both commented extremely favourably on the 2012 vintage. This was in the context of frank discussions about the wines, not a marketing spiel.

Cheers

Michael

One way of testing this out is to bring up the subject of the 2011 vintage, and see if they volunteer to tell just how bad the resulting wines are. I've heard some genuinely (and refreshingly) frank discussions about that particular subject.

Cheers,
Ian

Yes, both individuals roundly condemned the 2011 vintage, particularly for reds. Mind you that was easy as most of the whites were still the 2010s. The tune might change when the 2011s are on the tasting table

Cheers

Michael

I'm heading to the Barossa next week and it always amuses me how the cellar door sales man/woman try to talk up whatever vintage it is. I always ask a few people down there (who don't stretch the truth) what they think and that tells me more realistically what is happening vintage wise. I know of 1 small winery who don't release a wine if it it not up to scratch, so it will be interesting to see what they say about the 2011 and 2012 vintages.

Cheers
Ian