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Despite a serious drought, unpredictable weather and lower volumes than last year, the 2005 national wine-grape harvest was superb. Winemakers in all 10 regions agree that this was a record harvest - in terms of quality, not quantity.
As the harvest wraps up for most by mid-March 2005, a few cellars are still primed for pump-overs. Paarl and surrounds are nearly done and most Darling vineyards have been cleared. As Easter weekend looms, Durbanville reds are coming in fast, while Robertson's unusual weather patterns have forced a frustrating waiting period, writes Kim Maxwell.
Two consecutive dry winters in most of the South African wine regions have resulted in the sharpest decline in the grape harvest in years, and a shortage in locally produced white wine can be expected later in the year.
Late January heavy rains hampered harvest for many Western Cape cellars. Heading northwest to the Olifants River, and even further to Orange River territory in the Northern Cape, the weather and picking picture is quite different, writes our dedicated harvest-reporter, Kim Maxwell.
Winemakers expected a super-quick harvest during 2005, but heavy rain has slowed the pace. The area surrounding Wellington was one of the hardest-hit, reports our woman on the ground and in the know, Kim Maxwell.
As harvest 2005 kicks off, a weather prediction would probably sound something like: 'Scattered showers of Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Heavier storms to come.' Harvest 2005 started with a drizzle of grapes, but it'll take a weatherman's guesstimate to pinpoint the remaining features.
March 2005 signals the end of whites for some and being in the thick of reds for others. Stellenbosch and Paarl are peaking halfway or ending their vintage, while Durbanville and Darling farms have just started harvesting whites. While some cultivars are down, others have equaled or improved on 2004's crops, writes Kim Maxwell.
Vigilant viticulture and sorting has resulted in nicely aromatic whites and concentrated darker-skinned reds, even if tonnage is down and 2005 doesn't look to be a cracker. It's full throttle ahead in Elgin apple country to wind-whipped Kleinrivier, down Bot River's basking valleys and along the fynbos-hugging curves of the Hemel-en-Aarde, writes Kim Maxwell.