Geoffrey Dean reports direct from South Australia on the aftermath of the troubled 2011 vintage
The 2012 vintage in Australia is being widely touted as one of the very best in the last 20 years, but what of the ill-fated 2011 vintage? The south-east of the country got so much rain in late 2010 and in the lead-up to harvest in 2011 that downy mildew and botrytis ran amok, heavily reducing yields and causing swathes of fruit to be left behind in the vineyards. Some boutique producers made no wine at all, and many bigger ones switched from single vineyard wines to blends, but having tasted a good many South Australian offerings, I can happily report there are many good, and some excellent, releases just coming onto the market.