Austrian vintage report 1996(AWM, November 1996) - With a few exceptions, the 1996 Austrian harvest will be finished by mid-November. The Austrian Federal wine Growers Association estimates that production will be around two million hectolitres: approximately 20 % lower than average and roughly the same as 1995. Growers predict that 1996 will produce wines characterised by their delicacy and fine aromas rather than high alcohol. Careful vineyard husbandry and lower than average yields meant that good growers produced healthy grapes and espect good quality wines as a result. As is usual in years characterised by moderate autumn temperatures, certain grape varieties in many areas will produce wines with finer and more complex aromas than usual. Prädikat wines are expected to be of exceptionally high quality due to the amount of noble rot encouraged by favourable weather during the last few weeks before the vintage. Winter was unusually long and the growing season began relatively late. Apart from the area around Lake Neusiedl which covers 1,500 hectares, there was no significant frost damage. Despite the late start, the vines caught up quickly and favourable weather conditions in May and June meant that flowering started around the fifth of June, a week or two earlier than usual, and finished quickly, promising good yields. The summer months were not as hot and dry as recent years, but July an August temperatures were within the yearly average. Veraison began around the tenth of August. By mid-August, the weather was cooler and wetter, requiring greater care in the vineyards but relieving worries that the lack of summer rain would slow the ripening process. September was wetter and cooler than usual but although the ripening process slowed in many areas, it was still possible to start picking the earlier ripening grapes in the warmer regions by mid-September. The autumn weather meant that varieties more susceptible to rot required selective early picking and by the third week of October, noble rot (Botrytis Cinearea) was well established. The main harvest lasted until the first week of November in the cooler areas and approximately 100 hectares of grapes for Eiswein are still waiting to be picked. On the whole, dry wines are expected to be elegant and light, with good crisp acidity and delicate fruit, with a relatively low production of higher level Prädikat wines. Weather patterns in the wine producing regions:
Must measurements(data provided by the schools of Oenology):
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