Vintage Report 2008
In June 2007, with pruning for the 2008 growing season just beginning, we recorded our highest monthly rainfall ever: 320mm. The dam filled, then overflowed in a massive stream.
- dam overflowing
Pasture and vineyard were sodden for weeks and we splashed endlessly through water to get hay to our hungry cattle, set up shelters for the newborn calves and prune the vines.
Spring growth of the vines was slow, obviously there was some root damage from waterlogging, but eventually all went back to normal.
- chooks checking out the grapes
Early summer brought some problems as we had an outbreak of powdery mildew, obviously brought in by birds. Instead of starting in the shaded parts of dense vines as it usually does, it grew brazenly in full sun, in the outside rows and at the ends.
Powdery mildew causes off flavours in wine and so we had to use additional sprays. Eventually we got on top of it, but we lost about 5% of our grapes.
- Temperatures in 2008 (green) and 10 year average (red). Rainfall (blue)
- vineyard under bird nets in February
January and February 2008 were much cooler than our average summer and we had some good rainfall.
Vintage started on the 8th of March, but rounding up enough pickers that early proved rather difficult. Some were ill and some were on holiday. And so only part of the earliest grapes was picked when the heat wave which caused so much damage everywhere struck us too.
Grape sugar levels rose dramatically and the berries began to shrivel.
- hungry bees during crushing
- janet picking grapes
Eventually more pickers helped out, which gave us the chance to beat an organized retreat into total chaos. Vintage progressed at incredible speed and picking was finished in three weeks instead of the usual two months.
Quality was mixed with the early varieties suffering to some extent form the heat but later varieties showing very good concentration of flavour.
