Champagne readies for record early grape harvest

Winemakers in Champagne are predicting a record early harvest. 

Following an unusually early and heavily frost-damaged start to the season, followed by recent heatwave conditions, Champagne could be on course for the earliest start date for harvesting in its long history, trade news hub drinks business is reporting.

Region’s newspaper L’Union reported the feats and representatives from Champagne Canard-Duchêne and Louis Roederer said picking is predicted to begin on August 15 with some warmer sites possibly harvesting earier. 

Speaking to db, Roederer cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon said that the official start date is August 15, but “some places may start a few days before, such as Montgueux, which is an exceptionally sunny site.” 

Montgueux is a chalk hill located 10km west of Troyes in the Aube department, sometimes called the ‘Montrachet of Champagne’ for its unusually ripe Chardonnay.

Should picking begin on August 10 in Montgueux, that would mark the earliest harvesting on record in Champagne, with Lécaillon noting that some had started bringing in grapes as early as August13  in 2020, following an extremely hot summer – although the official start date that year was four days later.

The earliest official start to harvesting in Champagne on record is 2020, when picking began on August 17. 

Lécaillon said that the grapes were healthy, with bunches “forming well,” and, despite the hot dry conditions. 

Canard-Duchêne winemaker Cynthia Fossier said: "Today the vineyard is beautiful, but the temperature is too high.” 

A very long vintage kicks off in Tasmania

Tasmania is a small island with a number of different microclimates.

The 2026 wine vintage harvesting began this week - but may not finish until June.

That means wine grape picking across the island could stretch over four months.

The grape harvest kicked off this week with the initial picking of grapes designed as sparkling wine material.

Wine Tasmania’s Viticulture & Winemaking Officer Paul Smart said the 2025-26 growing season has been anything but predictable.

“It’s been a rather unusual season here in Tasmania," Smart said.

"A very cool spring was followed by a mild summer and little rainfall, which means conditions have been dry, and grapes have ripened more slowly than usual.”

Smart confirmed harvesting activity likely to continue through to late May and potentially June for later styles and varieties like shiraz in the cooler south of the state.

“A slower season like this can be a good thing when it comes to flavour development in our wines," Smart said.

"While yields are expected to be down around 30% compared with last year’s record high production, we’re anticipating excellent quality and plenty of fruit intensity.

“Tasmania's unique climate never gets truly hot. We are an island located a long way south, and our latitude and the surrounding water leads to long seasons and intense flavours in our wines.”

With vineyards entering the most sensitive period of the season, Wine Tasmania is also reminding landholders to work with nearby vineyards if and when planning burn-offs.

“Vineyards are particularly susceptible to smoke exposure at this time of year," Smart said.

"We’re simply asking people to have a quick proactive conversation with nearby vineyards before lighting a fire. Sometimes there may be limited risk based on weather conditions and the stage of harvest. Sometimes a short postponement may be all that’s needed to avoid potential damage.”

Wine Tasmania continues to work closely with the Tasmania Fire Service, Sustainable Timber Tasmania and the Parks & Wildlife Service to balance community safety with protecting vineyards.

New Zealand wine industry optimistic for 2026 vintage

There is optimism across the New Zealand wine industry with the 2026 harvest is underway or about to begin, New Zealand Winegrowers reports.

"As always, this is an exciting and highly anticipated time of year, with indicators pointing to grapes that offer regional diversity, distinctive flavours and ripeness" the industry's umbrella organisation reported.

"Ongoing changes in weather patterns have seen harvest dates move forward by several weeks in recent years, and 2026 is shaping up to be the earliest yet.

"Northland kicked off on January 23, followed by Hawke’s Bay, and in more recent weeks, Marlborough and North Canterbury. Central Otago is looking slightly later this year."

Philip Gregan, CEO New Zealand Winegrowers, reported: “January to March are critical months for growing and ripening grapes.

"We are looking forward to a nice, warm March, with cooler autumn nights that are important for flavour development.

"Winemakers are feeling optimistic as they look forward to crafting wines for both domestic and international consumers, continuing New Zealand’s reputation for wines that are distinctive, refreshing, sustainable and premium.”

Image: Sauvignon blanc grapes, NZ Winegrowers   

Where have all the vineyards gone?

The global wine grape harvest in 2024 is estimated to be even lower than the historic low 2023 vintage, reflecting negative weather events combined with active strategies to reduce production, Wine Australia reports. 

In the southern hemisphere, Australia and Argentina both saw substantial increases compared with their 2023 vintages, but remained below their 5-year averages. 

Chile and South Africa both declined to their lowest totals for more than 10 years, and well below their 5-year averages. 

Argentina regained its position as largest southern hemisphere producer, while Chile slipped to third.

Chile is believed to have removed up to 20% of its vineyard area in 2023-24, while New Zealand had a smaller vintage than the past two near-record crops. 

In the northern hemisphere, France saw the greatest reduction: down 23% compared with 2023 and 16%  below its 5-year average. 

Unfavourable weather conditions related to climate change were the main driver, although distillation and removal programs also contributed. 

Italy increased by 7% after its very low 2023 harvest, to reclaim the title of world's largest wine 

producer while Spain saw the largest increase globally - up 18% - to be close to its 5-year average.

International Organisation of Vine and Wine figures indicate that global wine production in 2024 was even lower than 2023, making it two in a row that are the lowest in 60 years.

The 2024 vintage total of 23 billion litres was 10 per cent below the 5- year average. 

New technology can help wine producers monitor smoke taint

A smoke sensor developed by La Trobe University researchers has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wine production.

The sensors are in the process of being rolled out across the wine industry, with monitors now being used to track the impact of bushfires that have ravaged the Grampians.

Wine Industry Smoke Detectors (WISDs) – colloquially known as ‘wizards’ – track smoke events like bushfires and burn offs around vineyards and can advise winegrowers whether it is likely to taint their grapes; and if they need to discard their season’s harvest, or use winemaking techniques to remove the taint.

Data taken during trials of the sensor through the 2020 bushfires that devastated wine regions across Australia’s east coast found that $100-$150 million worth of grapes were needlessly discarded over unfounded concerns they were tainted by smoke.

Australian agri tech provider Goanna Ag has now signed on to commercialise the WISDs over the next two years, during which time the hardware and algorithms will be further validated by real-world fire events and the network of WISDs expanded to other wine regions across Australia.

Professor Ian Porter, a researcher from the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe, leads the team that developed the WISDs and the risk model over the last decade.

He said trials of their sensor in vineyards across south-eastern Australia had found that smoke did not taint wine grapes as much as viticulturalists had believed.

He said this meant vineyards could avoid significant losses of grapes that winegrowers had previously believed were ruined.

“Growers think that all smoke causes smoke taint, but data collected by our team has for the first time globally linked the amount of fresh smoke needed in vineyards to smoke taint in the bottle," he said.

"This has been the Holy Grail of research that’s now being solved.

“This sensor has the potential to save a heap of grapes they would usually throw away, which can be financially and emotionally devastating for winegrowers. It’s one of the reasons we developed the WISDs.”

The prototype smoke loggers have been developed by La Trobe University researchers supported with funding from Wine Australia, La Trobe itself and other partners, including the Victorian and Australian governments and regional wine associations.

A network of 100 prototype loggers was deployed in vineyards in north-east Victoria after the catastrophic bushfires in 2020, with the technology refined in the years that followed.

Operating like the networks that continuously monitor air quality for human health, the data loggers calculate risk ratings for smoke taint drawn from a vast database of smoke, grapes and wine data collected by La Trobe during more than 70 controlled burns and eight major bushfires.

This knowledge links smoke dose to smoke composition, phenol levels in grapes and wine and their sensory outcomes in wines. It also incorporates the critical risk factors for smoke taint, including burn conditions, distance from the burn, grapevine variety and the timing of exposure during the season.

Goanna Ag Winegrape Business Development Lead Jock Ferguson said they had a track record of working with proven science to help growers solve genuine, well-recognised challenges.

“We are particularly excited to be involved in the commercialisation of the WISDs. They are a vital industry breakthrough with appeal to stakeholders throughout the grape and wine sector in Australia as well as winegrowing regions around the world,” Ferguson said.

Professor Porter said their findings also showed that in the vast majority of cases, winegrowers need not be concerned that smoke form planned controlled burns to reduce fire risk might taint their grapes.

“The WISD is an amazing breakthrough for Australian growers and wine producers. It provides the sector with an extremely valuable tool to use during any smoke event to determine whether there is a problem or not”, he said.

“Having results in real time greatly reduces stress for growers and winemakers and allows them to market their grapes and produce wine with confidence.”

Could a fire-fighting pink powder threaten California's vineyards?

A pink powdered flame retardant called Phos-Chek has proved effective in fighting fires in and around Los Angeles but sparked concerns it could cause damage to the environment, including vineyards.

Experts say chemicals in the product may have long-reaching consequences for agriculture, the drinks business reports.

There have been images published of cars, pavements and driveways covered with a thick dusting of the pink powder, which works by depleting the fire of oxygen, slowing the path of the flames.

Phos-Chek also serves as a visual aid for firefighters to see which areas have been treated and which areas still need their attention.

Some of the main components of Phos-Chek retardants include ammonium polyphosphate, diammonium phosphate, diammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, attapulgus clay, guar gum (or a derivative of guar gum), and trade secret performance additives.

Concerns have been raised that Phos-Chek harms fish and aquatic life; and that it causes long-term effects on soils, insects, and microbiology, Wikipdeia reports.

Heavy metals can impact on vines, particularly organic vineyards.  

In 2022 a lawsuit was filed by the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics against the US Forest Service, which said that the use of Phos-Chek had “violated” the clean water laws of the US by effectively dumping chemicals. These chemicals, the lawsuit said, killed fish and other aquatic life.

“The fires in Los Angeles, and the controversies surrounding this product, haunt everyone’s minds,” Valérie Pladeau, economic project manager of SudVinBio, the organiser of Millésime Bio, the world’s leading marketplace for organic wines, ciders, beers and spirits, told the drinks business.

Pladeau says while she has not seen “any reliable scientific references” to suggest that Phos-Chek is harmful to the environment, the accusation “relates to the presence of heavy metals” in the substance.

Los Angeles has several vineyards, with many located in the nearby regions of Santa Barbara and Temecula.

Briar Ridge takes an alternative route

It is a sign of the changing times when you receive new release white wine samples from a winery in the Hunter Valley and they include limited-release fiano and albariño. 

Briar Ridge's new releases do, of course, include a couple of semillons - the region's benchmark white variety - and a chardonnay, but alternative varieties that are heat-resistant are very much on the radar.

Fiano is a white Italian grape variety that is grown primarily in Campania in southern Italy, and on the island of Sicily. Albariño is widely grown in north-west Portugal and in Galicia in Spain. The pair  are both from the 2023 vintage ($35 each).

Located in the lovely hills of Mount View, the Briar Ridge vineyard is producing some outstanding wines under the leadership of winemaker Alex Beckett. 

I enjoyed both alternative varietals immensely, with the albariño a very elegant, fruit-forward expression with some textural elements, stone fruit and immediate drinkability, while the fiano is an altogether richer beast with nutty and honeyed characters to the fore. 

"The move to include these varieties as part of our whites release is one of Briar Ridge's initiatives from our bigger plan to work in a more holistic farming fashion, with grapes that require less input," said Beckett. 

The new releases also include the 2022 Single Vineyard 'Briar Hill' Chardonnay and the 2023 Single Vineyard 'Dairy Hill' Semillon, and 2023 Single Vineyard 'Black Cluster' Semillon (all $50). 

"For me, white wine production is about precision," Beckett says. 

"When you work with the utmost attention to detail, the end goal can be clearly aligned with your intent as a winemaker. This means wines that are delicate while still full of tension and purity.”

Of the two semillons, the Dairy Hill is a more expressive wine, concentrated and more earthy, while the Black Cluster is more on the citrus side of the spectrum with precision and purity to the fore and some flinty minerality. 

The Briar Hill Chardonnay is one for the medium term and is certainly a wine best enjoyed with food. 

It was matured for 15 months with 100% new French oak fermentation, and is powerful yet not at all overpowering. Think stone fruit, nutty complexity and the possibility of pairing with roast pork and crackling.

See https://www.briarridge.com.au/

Family pays tribute to a century of Margaret River toil

The Credaro family, synonymous with both farming and wine in the Margaret River Region in Western Australia is celebrating 100 years in the region. 

 Over the past century, the Credaro Estate, just like the family, has grown, yet the business remains family run, making it the oldest family-run winery in Western Australia’s south west.

The family story began in 1921 when Cesare Credaro migrated from Sondrio, Lombardy, in Italy’s north, following his brother Olympio to Fremantle in search of a better life after World War I.

The following year, the brothers found themselves in the south west region with an opportunity to purchase 146 acres of land in the Carbunup sub-region, midway between Yallingup and Busselton.

The Western Australian Government sold the land to the brothers for £250 pounds on the condition that they continued to cut wood for railway sleepers and clear the land for farming.

Robert Credaro, Cesare’s grandson, still has the broad axe his grandfather used.

“They had saw pits where they’d roll a big log over and they’d be one guy above and one below ground in the pit sawing by hand, which would have been hard work,” said father-of-five Robert.

Cesare sourced vine cuttings from some Italian neighbours, the Meleri family in Yallingup, and planted his first fragola vines in 1922.

Cesare helped the Meleris tend their own existing five acres of fragola while he waited for his own to fruit, from which he made table wine for family, friends and the community.

“Back then, fragola was known as ‘Red Dynamite’ and it was enjoyed by family and friends as well as sold and consumed at the Carbunup hall, which was the community’s social hub at the time,” Robert said.

Cuttings from that first Credaro vineyard live on with fragola one of the winery’s cornerstone varietals.

Alongside cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay that have traditionally thrived in the region, the five Credaro vineyards - with a total of 110 hectares under vine - produce pinot gris, merlot, sangiovese, semillon, sauvignon blanc, cabernet franc, shiraz, malbec, petit verdot and fragola.

“It’s humbling to look back to where it all started and hear the stories of all the hard work and sacrifices my great grandfather, grandfather and father have made to give their family a better life.” said Matt Credaro.

“To honour that, we’ve grafted Italian varietals montepulciano, nebbiolo and barbera for a future Credaro Heritage Range.

“Not only are we really excited to celebrate one hundred years in the region, we’re looking forward to the future and the next hundred years.”

The Credaros have a diverse agricultural history in the Margaret River Region. They have raised livestock including sheep and cattle, and nurtured a range of fresh produce, from the potatoes Cesare traded a century ago to avocados and pomegranates.

The first commercial crop of vines was planted in 1988, and in 2003, the Credaros built a winery and soon after established their own namesake label.

To celebrate their centenary in the Margaret River Region, Credaro Wines will host a series of events over the next 12 months, including a family day at their Caves Road cellar door in April.

For more information visit www.credarowines.com.au

New Zealand wine to be made using Australian grapes

Here's one of the strangest wine stories of the year: the New Zealand wine brand that is to be made with Australian grapes.

Lindauer is a very well-known New Zealand sparkling wine brand - but it is turning its back on its Kiwi heritage, leading New Zealand news website stuff.co.nz reports.

The Lindauer Classic Brut will henceforth be made using Australian grapes rather than New Zealand fruit, while the Classic Rosé will be a blend of Aussie and Kiwi grapes.

Both wines were previously made with 100% New Zealand grapes sourced from from Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.

Jane De Witt​, chief winemaker at Lindauer owner Lion, said the decision had been made to keep costs stable.

“As with everything that’s happening at the moment costs have increased significantly for us,” she said.

“We’ve really struggled to find the volume and the quality that we’re happy with to ensure the quality and the value that our consumers expect.

“Costs are increasing, so if we are to supply Lindauer to the consumer at the same or similar price point we just couldn’t continue using New Zealand grapes.”

Bizarro.

Some different tastes of the Hunter

When you think of the Hunter Valley you probably think about the region’s two star grape varieties: shiraz and semillon. 

The Hunter also makes excellent chardonnay and good verdelho - and now “alternative” varieties are making an impact, albeit in small numbers. 

I tasted several “new” Hunter wine styles on site at Pepper Tree this week. 

Here are a few of my favourites. 

Tasmanian wine vintage gets started

Other regions of Australia may have already finished harvesting grapes but in cool-climate Tasmania the 2022 vintage is only just starting and will continue for several weeks.

The first grapes - destined for sparkling wine - are gradually being harvested from the island’s warmer vineyards, and early reports fro­m wine producers in terms of quality are very positive.

Intermittent cool weather and rain events in some areas have slowed the ripening process of grapes, meaning that the season is slightly behind its usual timing.

Reports from across the state indicate that quality to date is very high, although some southern vineyards suffered hail damage late last year.

Contrasting predictions regarding the quantity of grapes likely to be harvested from different areas - influenced predominantly by cool spring weather - has reflected the diversity of the island’s microclimates. 

Despite this variability, general predictions are that yields will be in line with medium-term averages.

"No two seasons are the same in Tasmania and this year is certainly, yet again, highlighting this fact," says Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies

"The Tassie wine region has a cool and variable climate, which brings exceptional quality but also great risk. Our growers and winemakers work tirelessly to expertly manage seasonal conditions and produce the best possible wine each vintage.

"Tasmania has successfully built a global reputation for its outstanding wines, as reflected in the value of our grapes (4.5 times the national average) and bottled wine (double the country’s average). Despite Covid-19 challenges and border closures, visitation to the island’s cellar doors remains strong, with 25% of visitors to Tasmania (160,000 people) choosing to include a cellar door experience in their itineraries last year.”

While cooler conditions have created challenges, so too have the few short periods of warm weather experienced in the state, which bring the risk of fires and smoke. Vineyards are particularly susceptible to smoke exposure, which can irreparably damage wine grapes and the livelihood of wine producers for the full season and their year's efforts.

“The potential impact of smoke is one of the greatest concerns for wine producers at this time of the year, who will continue to harvest for several months through to the end of May," Davies said.

"We encourage anyone planning to light a fire on a residential or commercial property in the months ahead to consult with the Tasmania Fire Service and nearby vineyards before igniting their burn to ensure they don't inadvertently cause major damage.

“The thousands of people across the Tasmanian wine community do what they do because they truly believe this little island is among the best places on the planet to produce outstanding wine. Lovers of Tasmanian wine can look forward to tasting the rewards of the 2022 Tasmanian vintage over the coming months and years.”

Image: Resolution Vineyard, Middleton 

The remarkable renaissance of the viognier grape

Viognier is a once-obscure and threatened white wine grape from one region of France that is now making a global impact.

It is the only permitted grape for the Condrieu appellation n the Rhône Valley but is now also grown in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel, as well as North America.

In some wine regions, the variety is co-fermented with shiraz (syrah) and other red grapes.

In Australia, Yalumba produces five different wines made from viognier each vintage and other leading wineries using the variety include Clonakilla (whose shiraz viognier is a benchmark), Henschke, Tahbilk and By Farr. 

It also often blended with two other white Rhône grapes; marsanne and roussanne.   

Today is International Viognier Day - the perfect chance to try a variety that produces full-bodied whites that can be both aromatic and textural, often with apricot fruit notes to the fore.

The grape requires a long, warm growing season to fully ripen and thrives in the Eden Valley, It is believes the grape originated in what is today Croatia, and was brought to the Rhône by the Romans. 

In 1965, the grape was almost extinct with only eight Northern Rhône producers using the variety.

Since the early 1990s, the variety has found new favour around the world.

Louisa Rose, chief winemaker at family-owned Yalumba, is one of the cheerleaders for the variety.

Yalumba, which dates back to 1849, planted 1.2 hectares of viognier in the Eden Valley back in 1980 - well ahead of the curve. There are now 16 different parcels across five Yalumba vineyards in the Eden Valley, Riverland and Limestone Coast.

"Viognier is exciting to talk about; something new and different and that goes with our-food-based lifestyle," says Rose. "There is still a long way to go to make the variety known to all drinkers - still a lot of spreading the word."

The Yalumba range includes the flagship The 2018 Virgilius ($50ish), which is luscious and complex; the savoury and stylish Eden Valley 2019 Viognier ($28) and two terrific entry level wines; the fresh and vibrant 2020 Y Series Viognier ($15ish) and the exotically perfumed Yalumba 2019 Organic Viognier ($22)  - both of which shine when chilled well and paired with spicy Thai dishes. There is also a botrytis version. 

See www.yalumba.com