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Vintage Reports |
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| November 28th 2006 |
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| Austria: Less is more |
by Peter Moser
The climatic conditions in 2006 cannot be summed up easily. After a long, severe winter, followed by regional hail showers in spring, blossoming came relatively late amidst constantly changing weather – from cold to warm, from sun to rain. July was extremely hot and dry. Most vines, however, did not suffer. |
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 Rains in August abetted the water deficit from July, but it was a rather cold month and the sun did not often make it through the clouds. It returned, however, for about two months in early September. Daily temperatures were up, at night it was rather cool, which provided the grapes perfect conditions for balanced ripening while preserving their delicate aromas.
First estimates suggest that Austria harvested 2.4 million hectolitres of wine in 2006, seven percent more than last year. Nonetheless, 2006 remains five percent below the average volume over the past five harvests. The principal reason for the reduced yields was poor berry set during the rains during blossom, which heavily affected Grüner Veltliner. Thus, the two largest wine growing areas, Weinviertel and Kamptal, harvest slightly less than 2005. Burgenland, on the other hand, rose in volume by seven percent, but was still four percent below its long term average.
Styria is the big winner in 2006. The long, dry autumn made both good volumes and quality possible. 177,600 hectolitres were harvested, which is slightly above the already large 2005 crop. Two thirds of all Styrian wine is marketed directly by the winery – and the estates there enjoy some of the highest average prices in the country.
Winemakers consider the quality level of the 2006 vintage to be high for all varieties. Healthy grapes with ripe must weights and a surprisingly fresh acidity – due to the cool, wet August – have set the stage for an above average year. The only drawback is the fact that the light wines so sought after in the market will only be available in small quantities due to the high levels of sugar. For reds it appears to be an excellent year. Zweigelt has ripened better than over the past several vintages – and the late varietals did as well as the early ripening varieties such St. Laurent and Frühburgunder, all of which were harvested under perfect conditions.
Josef Pleil, president of the winegrowers´ association, characterizes the market developments as follows: „Prices for bulk wines will rise because of the limited quantities. Thus, bottled wines are likely to see some increase as well. It will, however, be moderate.“ On the other hand, Willi Balanjuk, managing director of Wine Burgenland, sees no upward movement: „We have sufficient volumes to continue to develop our markets. Poor berry set is a natural form of crop reduction.“ |
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