Rest of the World
REGION: Austria
GRADE: A (sweet wines)/B (dry wines)
Sweet wine producers in the Burgenland region were elated with the vintage, due to the abundance of botrytis, which is key to producing the country's luscious beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese wines. "This harvest was like a gift from the Godfather!" said Alois Kracher.
Dry white wine districts, such as the Wachau, had a tougher go of it in 2004. The flowering was later than usual, and cool temperatures dominated much of the year. June and July saw plenty of rainfall, but a sunny, warm August helped jump-start the ripening of the grapes. This was slowed by more rain in September and a damp, foggy October. Even with green harvesting and arduous care, many Riesling vineyards struggled to reach full ripeness. Grüner Veltliner reaped the benefits of dry, warm mid-November winds--and even botrytis--to yield good natural sugar levels and should produce fine, full-bodied late-harvest Smaragd wines.
Cool temperatures also marked the red wine regions, such as Mittelburgenland and the Neusiedlersee, but a mild, generally sunny October improved ripeness levels. There was no shortage of botrytis in these areas, giving red sweet wines their time to shine.
--Darrel Joseph
REGION: Germany
GRADE: A-
Germany experienced a typical harvest for Riesling in 2004. Quality looks very good at this stage, with crisp acidities, fruity aromas and true kabinetts and spätlesen. Quantities are close to average for most estates.
Temperatures in June, July and August were warmer than average, but not as hot as in 2003. The Rheingau, Mosel and Nahe regions received much-needed rain during the summer, but Philipp Wittmann of Weingut Wittmann in the Rheinhessen reported it was drier inland. The flowering period extended longer than usual, and several growers noted the need to green harvest to reduce the crop size.
Expect elegant, classically styled Rieslings from 2004, which producers are comparing to several earlier outstanding vintages, such as 2002, 2001, 1990 and 1988. But don't expect to see much of Germany's greatest sweet wines. Botrytis came late, around Oct. 25 at Gunderloch in the Rheinhessen, and at many estates, there wasn't much of the noble rot, making it a struggle to harvest beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese wines.
--Bruce Sanderson
REGION: Portugal/Port
GRADE: B+
Port producers who gambled on a late harvest appeared to have made very good to exceptional wines in 2004, following an extremely variable growing season. The weather was sunny and warm for most of September and early October, correcting the effects of a wet, cool August and enabling many vineyard owners to pick their grapes at near-perfect maturity.
"The 2004 harvest could have been a total wipe-out, with some early rain causing dilution, and some rot starting to appear," said Rupert Symington, a director of the Symington family Port group, which includes such well-known names as Graham, Warre and Dow. "Luckily it dried and warmed up completely, and we made some really good wines."
"It was an extraordinary year, with low yields and very high concentrations of sugar," said Christian Seely, who oversees Quinta do Noval and the newly acquired Quinta da Romaneira. "Fermentations were slow and not always easy, but there were some lagares of seriously high quality and with a distinctive character of the year. We'll see how they evolve, but certainly there were some exceptional wines."
Still, the biggest talk from the Douro Valley concerns the 2003 vintage, even though an official declaration won't come until spring. Many producers are already saying 2003 could top the legendary 1994 or even 1963 vintages.
--James Suckling
REGION: Spain
GRADE: B
A mild winter, followed by a rainy spring and a dry, cool summer led to later-than-normal harvests in most areas. In Rioja, the governing body reported that the crop was a bit smaller than in 2003, but overall quality was higher. Still one producer said that 2004 was a "very complicated year," and the quality of the Tempranillos could be uneven. Some vineyards, especially in Rioja Baja, received torrential summer rains, which were followed by a dry spell.
Winemakers in Ribera del Duero were more optimistic, expecting to produce powerful, structured wines with deep color and harmonious acidity. Yields varied, up or down, in different vineyards. In Penedés, a dry September helped ripen local varieties, such as Macabeo, Monastrell and Xarello, to a very good level. Other varieties, such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, were reported to be exceptional. Priorat vintners reported that old vines produced better-than-average grapes, which should yield strong, concentrated wines. But the younger vines did not ripen as well, which is likely to lead to wines that are lighter in structure and color.
--Jacob Gaffney
