Vintage 2018 begins

The 2018 vintage at Katnook Coonawarra began today with harvest of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meuniere for sparkling wine base.  General Manager of Viticulture Chris Brodie explains the story so far, “The spring leading up to the 2018 vintage at  Katnook Coonawarra was wet, providing good soil moisture which gave the vines an excellent start, with very little early season irrigation required. Temperatures were relatively warm which also encouraged good vine growth, especially in newly planted areas.  Bud burst was later than usual.

A significant late frost in early November caused crop losses throughout Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. Katnook’s crop will subsequently be down by around 20%, with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon at Founder’s Block level most affected.  In mid November we experienced heavy rainfall of around 75mm in one day but we then enjoyed warm, clear conditions.  In mid January, most of southern Australia, including Coonawarra had several days of heatwave conditions, which brought forward the first day of vintage to February 6th.

At this early stage, the vines are in good condition and the crop load is moderate, so we are upbeat about the quality of the resulting wines.”