harvest

Drought Threatens Australia's Grape Crop

Filed under: Wine

Last year the news was all about Australia's wine glut and vineyards dumping their harvests. This year the situation is much different, Australia's wine grape harvest next year could be cut by more than half because of the worst drought in a century. In the U.S. it is currently harvest season but in Australia the harvest is still months away. Still there is reason to be concerned because yields will be done in regions that rely on irrigation water from the Murray-Darling Basin. The Wine Grape Growers Australia executive director Mark McKenzie has said between 800 and 1,000 of the nation's wine grape growers could be at risk of going out of business because they cannot buy water. The news comes as Australian wine exports have reached record numbers.

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Tags: australia, grapes, harvest, vineyard, wine

Champagne Guzzlers Stretch Moet To Its Breaking Point

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

If you are a fan of Moet et Chandon, here comes some bad news. The director of the Champagne house, Frederic Cumenal told the French newpaper Les Echos that they are facing supply issues. Because the Champagne region is an AOC and is limited by geographical boundaries it stands to reason that there is not an endless supply of grapes. The continued growth and popularity of the Moet et Chandon brand has streched the brand to its limits. Cumenal said that yields are at maximum. Nature can only be pushed so far and so a new rule for the 2007 harvest in the region stipulates that growers must save excess grapes in good harvest years to put on the market during limited supply years.

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Tags: champagne, france, grapes, harvest, moet et chandon, wine

Ice Wine Harvests In Danger

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

If you are a fan of ice wine you may want to stock up now because it looks like there may be a shortage next year. I've been seeing a bunch of reports from various states and Canada about the ice wine harvest, or more precisely, the lack thereof. Ice wine makers need to harvest the grapes when they are frozen and that hasn't been happening because of the warm weather across the Northeast and Canada. Even if the weather turns icy and the harvest is saved there will be likely be less ice wine. The good news is that whatever grapes are harvested may yield a tastier wine. As often happens with winemaking, grapes left on the vine longer, or subjected to temperature stressors can sometimes yield richer and more complex wines. The diminished harvest may also lead to higher prices for the sweet golden elixir. All the more reason to buy now and stock up for what may well be a lean season.

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Tags: global warming, harvest, ice wine, IceWine