Vintage Progress @ Cowra

So far we have had 39 degree heat, humidity, cool nights, warm days, heavy showery rain, wind, what strange weather!  The last week has yielded milder weather with heavy dew some mornings and sunny skies during the day which is helping finish the ripening process.

The vines appear to be mostly holding up; there is the inevitable powdery mildew in the vineyard.  Some blocks, particularly the Cabernet crop are affected by botrytis as well.

It's shaping up as a year for the patient and clever (?) winemaker, but am confident the end result will be quite good.  Already some of the whites are coming along in tank, sparkling bases are getting there and looking forward to shiraz and tempranillos which are both looking good on the vine still.