While much of the Australian Wine Industry is in the doldrums: Excessive rainfall and low temperatures in the Hunter spoiling the red grape harvest; water shortages in the Murray Darling continuing to prove problematic: record heat making the South Australian Vintage “one to forget”  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/08/2211454.htm: , Western Australia looks set for one of the best vintages in some years. 1994 and 1998 would be considered as 2 of the best and this year is certainly as good as those.

 

This years harvest is lighter than average mainly because of hail and heat damage but an outstanding ripening season has produced top quality red and white varieties across all growing regions. John Griffiths WA Wine Industry Association.

 

Rob Bowen, Houghton winemaker agreed the 2008 vintage was the best in many years.

Statewide the harvest is estimated at 66,000 tonne which is down from the average. Nationally, the wine grape harvest is estimated between 1.55 million and 1.65 million tonne, which is up on last year’s drought and frost affected harvest of 1.4 million tonne.

 

So what does this mean for the consumer? The Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz have been singled as stand-outs; “intense colour, expressive and richest for some time”.

Also expect some great things out of top end chardonnay from Pemberton and Margaret River.

For the bad news; with two good vintages in storage, the glut virtually gone and demand for WA fruit high, you can expect to pay 10-15% more.