THE WINE YEAR AND THE VINTAGE 2001
(All's Well That Ends Well, or Nerves of Steel Only, Please)
(AWMB, Vienna, March 2002) - A dry winter which was
so mild that it hardly deserved to be called winter at all was followed
in most wine-growing areas by a spring that was dry and pleasant, allowing
the vines to develop normally. The hot and summery weather in May even
brought to mind the heat records of 2000. After a good blossoming period
right up to mid-June a cool and rainy July finally brought the much-needed
precipitation and a chance for the plants to recuperate. August was so
hot and sunny that an early harvest date seemed on the cards. The general
conditions even seemed to be better than those in 1999 and 2000.
Just in time for the school year the weather changed. September came
with never-ending rain: Vienna, for example, saw only four clear days
in four weeks. The last weekend of September brought a change to the better
which, with the exception of some persistent fog, lasted throughout October.
The grapes, which had absorbed a good deal of water during the rains,
were able to stabilize again and most varietals could fend off the danger
of rot.
Under these conditions very consciencious work in the vineyards during
the summer was an absolute precondition for a good harvest. Only a light
foliage and a considerable reduction in yields could protect the grapes
right up to the end of the vegetation period. These difficult conditions
also brought with them a very work-intensive harvest sorting out the healthy
grapes from others, and a correspondingly very high financial outlay for
the producers. The fermentation of the must was mostly allowed to happen
slowly and using the cool outside temperatures. Two frosty periods in
December, finally, allowed an ice wine harvest.
The first tastings show that the majority of the 2001 whites are fruit-driven
and spicy, with good varietal typicity and a text-book expression of the
fine acidity which is so much loved by Austrian wine lovers. Fruit extracts
seem high and will therefore be able to balance the wines. Only the lighter
wines harvested during the rainy period are much lighter.
Like the whites with their clarity and deep fruit, the 2001 reds show
great fruit sweetness and elegance. If the previous vintage brought more
powerful wines, the wines from 2001 will be able to make up for their
lacking punch with their great charme. It will be seen to be better than
1995, 1996, and 1998, and can be expected to evolve a little more quickly
than 1999 and 2000.
September was ideal for botrytis and guaranteed a slow and continuous
spread of the noble rot. Especially in the Burgenland we may look forward
to an attractive vintage of dessert wines. The Seewinkel in the north
of the area managed to harvest significant quantities as well as good
quality.
2001 was not the century vintage that many hoped it might be, and there
are producers who rate it as a missed chance. In retrospect, however,
the good late autumn has saved the vintage and wine lovers can look forward
to wines with excellent balance and fruit. The range of qualities, however,
is much larger in a year as capricious as this one, a year which asks
much more from the winemaker than previous vintages did. In the hands
of masters, however, these will be masterly wines. (Text
by Viktor Siegl)
For more information please contact:
Austrian Wine Marketing Board
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