2004 Southern Hemisphere Harvest

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Quality is promising in many regions

Posted: June 17, 2004



		Argentina

		Australia

		Chile

		New Zealand

		South Africa

		Also:

		The 2003 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Report

		The 2003 Vintage Report

While U.S. and European winemakers can enjoy most of their summer before they have to start worrying about harvest, their Southern Hemisphere counterparts have had time to do a preliminary evaluation of their recently completed crush.

What did the 2004 vintage bring? Argentina enjoyed consistently warm, dry weather during the growing season, but conditions in Chile were somewhat erratic. Unlike 2003, when severe droughts and poor weather drastically reduced the size of their crops, Australia and New Zealand brought in their largest harvests ever. In South Africa, winemakers were pleased, though not nearly as enthusiastic as they had been about last year's quality.

Below are links to full reports of what to expect from the 2004 vintage in major wine regions throughout Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America.

Argentina

With good weather much of the year, top wine producers are enthusiastic about quality, especially for the country's premier grape, Malbec. Whites such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc also stood out.

Australia

The country had a record harvest, and quality looks generally high for reds and whites throughout Australia's major wine regions. But overall, quality is unlikely to reach the level of 2002 because of heat spells in many areas.

Chile

Despite the varied weather -- from spring frosts to high temperatures to late-harvest rains -- vintners remain optimistic. Among reds, Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo performed well, but Carmenère was variable.

New Zealand

The country brought in its largest-ever vintage, and winemakers reported good to excellent quality in regions such as Marlborough, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. Frost-ravaged Central Otago was the exception.

South Africa

Despite weather patterns that can vary by region, producers in South Africa are almost unanimous in their praise for 2003. Some call it the best vintage in a generation.

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