Pre-Vintage 2023 - While We Wait
The Green Canopies and Brown Grasses of Summer in the Barossa
Vintage 2023
Pre-VINTAGE
As our grapes continue to ripen, and harvest at our Estate and other vineyards slowly creeps closer, we thought it best to provide an update on where we are and try and predict what is to come over the weeks and months ahead.
Like much of the East and Southern Coast of Australia, South Australia has just experienced a wet spring and early summer, albeit for us in the Barossa rainfall was average at around 450mm in the North and a little bit more in Williamstown to the South for the year 2022.
What created difficulties for most was the very high rainfall totals recorded for September, October and November (our Spring). Cool damp conditions had vineyard workers nerves on high alert, but with the warm weather that has followed the vineyards look in great condition and appear to have survived unscathed.
However, our Ebenezer vineyards saw a bit of hail early in Spring which has impacted crop size, but quality looks extremely high.
VERAISON
Old Shiraz almost through Veraison for the 73rd time
Our Estate and Northern Vineyards are currently going through veraison, whereby the berries soften and in the case of reds, change colour. This step essentially signifies the onset of ripening. For us, as a general rule, once we are 50% through, which we are now, it is about 6 weeks to picking. That would put us picking the Estate Blocks late March or early April, so 1 to 2 weeks later than last year.
What Next
For us, we are looking for nice warm weather through to the end of vintage. With forecasts all suggesting good weather, we would anticipating picking the first of the whites late February or early March, followed by the Grenache and Mataro for Rose and the Williamstown Red. We would anticipate finishing with the Northern Shiraz and Mataro sometime in early May
