The Hunter Valley is just coming out of what has been labelled by some as the most difficult vintage since 1971. From January to March this year, we received some 344mm of rain. This is around 35% more rainfall than average. The rain, in combination with exceptionally low summer temperatures (5 degrees below the average), meant that the vines were unable to defend themselves against powdery / downy mildew, and botrytis.

Fortunately, we were able to harvest our whites at good ripeness levels and with minimal disease – though this did require around 25% of the fruit to be dropped on the ground. Some say the best Hunter Semillon’s are produced in the wet years, and looking at what we have in tank, I would have to agree. The Semillons are bright and crisp, with vibrant flavours with more than a hint of that classic acidity! Unfortunately we haven’t had anywhere near as much luck with the reds. The conditions basically meant that the fruit never ripened and was plagued with disease. Unlike the whites, it is impossible to make a decent wine out of red fruit that isn’t fully ripe, so in the end the only red we picked was used as a Rosé base.

We are fortunate in the sense that we should have enough red to carry us through to the 09 vintage, and that the 08 whites look very good. Though the same cannot be said for many producers in the valley who either as winemakers need the volume to meet orders, or who as growers, need the cash flow from the sale of fruit simply to survive. The economic ramifications of a “non-vintage” also extend down the supply chain. Bottle distributors will suffer, as will label printers, bottling lines, carton manufacturers, etc, etc.

There will be many out there doing it tough for the next year or two.

M.B