Reviews

Vintage-2007 in the Northern Hemisphere: first results
(fine)wines №3 winter 2007-2008

Winegrowers and winemakers hope for the best with each new vintage, but irregular weather conditions, especially in Europe, mean that quality of harvest varies from one year to another.

The intrigue of vintages makes many winemakers test their nerves as quality potential of wines and, consequently, prices depend upon the whims of nature.

As expected, weather conditions at the European vineyards developed unevenly this year and even led to dramas in some areas. A common phenomenon in the majority of the wine regions was an unusually mild winter and early spring which moved the vegetative cycle 2-3 weeks ahead. The further progress of the vineyards, though, went according to individual scenarios.

The French harvest was one of the smallest in the past few years. In 2006 which is considered to be an average year 53 mln. hectolitres were produced. This year the figure will be decreased by at least 6 mln. hectolitres.

Bordeaux winemakers were optimistic at the early stages of the season. April was the hottest in the past 30 years, and young bunches were forming evenly. In the end of spring, though, the weather deteriorated. Frequent rains were interspersed by warm sunny days in May, June and July. This created ideal conditions for mildew — a fungous disease that first develops on leaves and then gets into sap and attacks berries from within. The epidemic swept throughout all Bordeaux, and the southern Graves was the worst affected with up to 90% of the harvest lost. Average August temperature was lower then usual. In summer estates had to work much harder in the vineyards. They had to undertake regular and expensive treatments to save the grapes. White varieties were picked in late August — early September. The final quality of red grapes depended on the weather conditions at the beginning of autumn. Winegrowers’ expectations were not let down. September sun and dry warm days aided in good ripening of grapes, but their harvesting took place later than usual. Lower volumes, with the estimates of 5,5-5,6 mln. hectoliters, have already pushed up the prices for a tonneaux (a standard measurement of volume equaling 900 litres) of Bordeaux AOC from 880 to 1000 euros. As for sweet wines, yields were down to 10 hectolitres per hectare out of the allowed 25. The picking was slow due to difficult development of the noble rot that was possibly affected by summer treatments against the mildew.

Summer fungous epidemic left Burgundy practically untouched. Although certain areas, particularly Cote Chalonnaise saw some damage, cool summer weather didn’t let mildew spread like in other French regions. The problem, though, was in heterogeneous ripening and a threat of rot. Vines developed almost one month ahead, and picking was being planned for mid-August — early September. 2007 was indeed the second year after 2003, when Pinot Noir was ready for harvesting in the end of August. Another anomaly was that Chablis in the north and Macon in the south produced equally late harvest that was picked in the middle of September. General quality for red wines was average. Only winemakers who thoroughly sorted grapes before vinification can expect good results. The quality of white wines seems to be slightly better than of the red.

Beaujolais winegrowers also called the vintage strange because all grapes were delivered in the wineries by early September. Weather conditions were comparable to those in Burgundy. April heatwave that reached 34-35 degrees was followed by a cool and rainy summer. The quality of grapes was uneven.

The situation in the Loire Valley was about the same, and the quality of the vintage is compared to 2002. In Alsace a great damage was done by the June hail which destroyed vineyards, including some grands crus, in five communes of the region.

In Champagne the harvest was the earliest in the regional history. It started three weeks earlier. Despite the fact that the yields were lower than average in the past three years (especially for the red varieties — Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier), the final volume was the highest on the record. This was made possible due to the increase of the total amount of productive vineyard in Champagne by nearly 40% in comparison to the early 1980s. Vintage-2007 is expected to produce about 390 mln. bottles.

Unlike in many French regions, vintage conditions were favourable in the Rhone Valley. Cote-Rotie is the only area where the situation was marred in June because of a severe hail that destroyed between 30 to 90% of the future crop. Nonetheless, the weather was excellent during harvesting, and the estates could afford to work without haste. Grapes were healthy and well ripened. All wines demonstrate high qualitative level, and the reds are also set to have a great aging potential.

The season in the south of the country, especially in Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, was also close to ideal, and even slightly dry in Rivesaltes. White and red grapes were gathered at the peak of ripeness, without sanitary problems, and with a good quality potential. Rivesaltes this year had the earliest harvest in the history of France. The first grapes were picked on 2 August.

Like France, Italy gathered a low crop this year — only 40,5 mln. hectolitres which is 8 mln. less than in a five-year average. Winemakers will remember 2007 as the year with the lowest yields and as one of the earliest vintages in decades. It happened thanks to warm and dry winter and hot April which broke the 50-year temperature records. Unlike in continental Europe, summer, especially July, were very hot in the central and southern Italy. A long awaited August rain was beneficial for vineyards. Thanks to dry sunny weather with a good difference between day and night temperatures the dates of picking were stretched, and winegrowers could afford to wait for the grapes to achieve required maturity.

Sangiovese harvest in Tuscany started in the second week of September. Despite a 10 percent loss in quantity, winemakers of Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino are happy with the high quality of the grapes which is on par with the last year’s vintage. In general, the year was successful for all central Italy, including Marche and Abruzzo where well balanced wines are expected.

Quality level in the north of Italy is estimated as good to very good. There is 15-20% less of crop in Piedmont and Lombardy than in 2006. Still, a long maturing season brought about wines with excellent aromas and ripe, velvety tannins. Nebbiolo in Piedmont was ready for picking by early October; grapes were ripe, with concentrated aromatics. Veneto and Friuli were among a handful of Italian regions with increased production — by 5-10% in comparison with the last year.

The biggest drop happened in the southern Italy, especially Sicily, where on average 40% of grapes were lost. Sicilian vineyards suffered from peronospera in some places, as well as from excessive summer temperatures, so the quality of grapes was variable. In Puglia, Campania and Sardinia sunny days, cool nights and light rain in September ensured good ripening and a possibility to produce wines with a good structure.

The Iberian Peninsula had own climatic and weather conditions, but low yield was the common feature between Spain, France and Italy.

Preliminary reports of the Regulating Council are positive about the vintage in Rioja. Abundant spring rains provided enough water, and the May outbreak of mildew was quickly localized. The ripening period of grapes was longer than usual caused by cool, cloudy, but dry summer. The weather was ideal in September. During the harvesting grapes had balanced indices for polyphenols, acidity, alcohol and other elements. Yields were lower than usual for white and red grapes. In Toro Tempranillo ripened with a three-week delay, and the yields were down by 40%. Small bunches, though, helped grapes mature well. Cool weather before picking raised the level of acidity and created a particularly aromatic profile.

Excellent results are expected in two leading white wine areas of Spain. In Rias Baixas, where grape production dropped by a third as compared to previous year due to rainy and windy weather during flowering, the quality of grapes is called extraordinary. In the meantime, cool summer in Rueda meant a longer ripening period of Verdejo, so the wines will have more intense aromatics and balanced acidity. Though the yields are low, general production volumes are up due to the extended vineyard area.

Production volumes in Jerez were increased by considerable 40% this year in comparison with the last. Picking campaign was assessed as excellent, but winemakers had their worries when a torrential rain fell in the mid-September. According to the Regulatory Council, vineyards recovered from the moisture in a few hours thanks to well drained soils, and the quality of grapes didn’t suffer.

Mild winter, early vegetative cycle and low yields were also common in the Douro Valley. Rainy summer and higher humidity posed a risk of fungous diseases. Winegrowers had to be more thorough in the vineyards. Changing colour in grapes was late due to cool weather, but low temperatures at night helped grapes develop ideal phenolics. The weather was favourable throughout most of the picking season that took place later than usual. Wines have attractive freshness thanks to good acidity, and the level of alcohol is not too high. In general, a good year both for ports and table wines.

Consequence of the global warming or not, but the vintage again caused a euphoric mood among the German winemakers. Positive reports came from all 13 winemaking regions. The quality as well as the quantity were on the up. After several low yielding years, the harvest was up by 8% in 2007 in comparison to the average 10-year figures. General production is estimated at 10,5-11 mln. hectoliters. Harvesting took place under calmer conditions than before. Early flowering made it possible for grapes to ripen during a longer period. Thanks to good weather and healthy grapes estates could choose ideal dates for picking. In general, wines have intense aromas which is especially true for late ripening Riesling and Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir). Outstanding quality is expected for all categories of the German wine.

The 2007 vintage in Austria has already been called a winemakers’ year. The implication is that a human factor had a major influence on the final quality of wines. Hot summer was followed by prolonged rain in the beginning of September. Thorough work in the vineyards and strict selection of grapes were key factors for success. Winemakers who risked to wait longer with picking were rewarded by a deeper aromatic concentration of both white and red wines. The whites have advantage over the reds, especially Gruner Veltliner and Riesling in the Lower Austria and Sauvignon Blanc in Styria. Rains were favourable for grapes used for sweet wines. Good development of the noble rot on Burgenland vineyards will give high quality beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese. Total production in Austria in 2007 shows average figures — about 2,5 mln. hectoliters.

California winemakers are very optimistic about 2007 vintage and look forward to an outstanding quality of wines. Mild winter with temperate rain and dry spring resulted in early flowering. The other feature of the vintage was formation of small berries as a sign of a higher possible quality of wine. On the North Coast vegetative development was 2-3 weeks ahead. The main bulk of white grapes was picked before the rainy season. In the Napa Valley summer passed without excessive heat, and winemakers are talking about well balanced wines. The Central Coast was drier than the northern areas, but the harvest was delayed. According to the Californian Department of food and agriculture, total grape production was 3,2 mln. tonnes.

While hot spring, summer and autumn helped Ontario winemakers declare the vintage for dry white and red wines as the best in the past 25 years, it remains to be seen whether the year will be cold enough to produce ice wines, the main speciality of the region. In the British Columbia which is considered to be the leading Canadian province for quality dry wines, weather conditions were less stable, and the vintage is assessed as average.