Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A 2012 EU Vintage Summary



The 2012 vintage is coming to a close in the EU. Weather conditions have been less than ideal in some areas, and others have been lucky enough to experience bountiful harvests. So which 2012 wines should we be watching? Below is a region-by-region Western Europe vintage summary which should prove helpful.
  
uneven flowering - the main issue of the 2012 EU vintage



Portugal:

2012 followed on the heels of the miserable 2011 vintage, which saw a large decrease in yield due to root rot. Though the 2012 vintage wasn’t great, in comparison yields were actually up about 20%. Dry winter months were followed by a very rainy April, leading to relatively late budding and flowering. Subsequent hot, dry summer months were capped off by a cooler August with little rain in the Douro region. The Alentejo, on the contrary, got a few showers in August. 

In general, the grapes were small with good color, high phenolic levels, good ripeness, good acidity, and high potential alcohol. The Alentejo began its harvest August 21 followed by the Dão, the Douro, and Vinho Verde. Overall 2012 seems to be a good vintage quality-wise throughout Portugal, and good quantity-wise as well when compared to 2011. All regions should make some very good wine this year.

Spain:


Spain experienced an unusually cool spring followed by a very hot, dry summer. In the south Cabernet Sauvignon fared horribly, with yields down 70% in some areas of Andalucía. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Tempranillo did much better. Rioja had a double onslaught of drought and red spider; allowing selective irrigation salvaged some of the worst-hit vines. Ribera del Duero saw a decrease in yield of around 15% due to heat shock and drought. Navarra and the Valencia region, on the contrary, enjoyed good production levels, with Alicante actually showing an increase in yield for its sweet wines.

red spider mite effect

Quality of Spanish wines is expected to be very good. Though yields dropped, the remaining berries were of excellent quality and concentration. Bulk white wine prices have nearly doubled compared to 2011 in Castilla-La Mancha. Bulk red prices have yet to be determined, but are expected to exhibit the same trend. Navarra, Ribera del Duero, and Alicante are probably the regions to watch.
 
France:



The 2012 vintage in France will be a very complex subject with extremely mixed results depending on the region. In general, a cold rainy spring was followed by an intense heat wave in the summer. These conditions led to problems during flowering, with varying outcomes.



BordeauxSpring rains led to inconsistent flowering and uneven ripening. Extraordinarily hot days in August (some reaching 104 Fahrenheit) caused some grapes to shut down, and others to get severe sunburn. The wet spring and hot summer also resulted in widespread mildew. Late-ripening Cabernet had to be picked in many cases before ripening was complete in order to avoid botrytis. A few good weeks just before harvest had some optimistic, but Cabernet-based wines will have a struggle ahead due to unripe tannins in the pips and skins. Merlot and Cabernet Franc showed good ripeness and concentration. 

uneven ripening on a Cabernet Sauvignon bunch in Bordeaux

The right bank will likely fare better than the left bank in 2012. Sauternes will not have a good vintage this year, as the desired botrytis cinerea did not show up at the critical time.

Burgundy – The weather had a similar effect on the yield in Burgundy as it did in Bordeaux. However, the Pinot Noir was able to reach full maturity before any mildew problems occurred. Burgundy producers are comparing the fruit quality to the 2010 vintage, claiming that the wines will be fewer but of excellent quality. This is a vintage for aging… but both whites and reds will be delicious!

The Rhône – Small berries were the result of the weather conditions in the Rhône this year. Lots of berries, little juice. Yields are down 20-25% in key regions such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Hermitage, Condrieu, and Cornas. But producers are very optimistic about the quality of the wines. They much prefer 2012 to 2011, and compare it to 2007 (which they quite liked). Good acidity and very, very ripe grapes are raising expectations about 2012 Rhône wines… keep your eye on these.

Champagne – Not much to say here. Champagne suffered some of the worst losses of all of the EU. Estimates state that 2,600 hectares were lost to frost. Chardonnay fared the worst. Vintage Champagne won’t be common from 2012…

The Loire and the South – Similar effects were seen in the Loire and the south of France as in Burgundy: decreased yield (down 50% in Muscadet!) but fantastic quality. No rot was seen. This will be a small but great vintage in the Loire, and a medium-yield, good vintage in the south.

Italy:

Italy witnessed an early harvest in all regions. Heat and drought were suffered here along with the rest of the EU, but yields in general only dropped about 10%. This is, of course, compared to the already low yields of 2011. In fact the last 5 years have been very low-yielding, leading to a shortage rather than the usual surplus of wines in Italian cellars. Luckily this mainly affects the bulk wine market and not the craft wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Tuscany, etc.

Early varietals were penalized most (in general) in 2012 due to the unfavorable weather conditions. Merlot was decimated, along with early ripening whites throughout the country. Italian varietals were definitely favored.

Alto Adige – Heat and peronospora proved challenging for producers in Alto Adige. A hot and humid July and August forced some to pick as early as August 30. Later ripeners like Merlot and Cabernet suffered due to a cold front with lots of rain beginning September 15. Yields were down typically about 20%. Early ripening grapes, however, managed to produce fresh, elegant wines in which the producers are taking a lot of pride. Pinot Noirs and whites will be wonderful.

peronospora in Alto Adige

Tuscany – Whites did much better than reds in Tuscany. The Vermentino in particular will show remarkably well. In Bolgheri and Montalcino, yields are reported to be down 25-30%. However vineyards with old vines that withstood the drought conditions more easily (emergency irrigation is forbidden here) will make excellent, concentrated wines. The Sangiovese that made it to harvest showed excellent color, very good acidity, and deep, rich flavor. The best producers in Tuscany with old vineyards will find that the 2012 vintage is legendary.

Piedmont – A cooler-than-average May and June with loads of rainfall resulted in the standard 2012 bud loss. June was warm and sunny, without the excessive heat experienced by many regions perhaps due to the tempering winds from the Ligurian sea. A slightly early harvest of slightly less fruit isn’t seeming to worry the Piemonte producers, who have very high hopes for the 2012 vintage.

Emilia Romagna – Weather conditions here forced emergency irrigation in an attempt to rescue the overstressed vines. Yields are way down (30-50%); in fact, 2012 is known as the lowest yielding vintage in the last 50 years. Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco harvest began 10 days to a month early. Later ripening grapes took advantage of some much-needed rainfall and were harvested relatively on time. Lambrusco ripened quite well, with good acidity and perfect concentration. Barbera, Lambrusco, and Bonarda are probably the wines to look for… Trebbiano, on the other hand, suffered most.

Southern Italy and Sicily – 2012 was HOT in the south. But the reports coming in state that the grapes were healthy and balanced at the time of harvest. The ability to irrigate saved many vines and allowed the south to manage its losses well. This should be an OK vintage.

Germany:

A disappointing spring and summer was followed by gloriously sunny and warm conditions as harvest approached. Very little reduction in yield was reported. Germany did not see the intense heat wave experienced by the rest of Western Europe, and instead had mellow, warm conditions that encouraged even and healthy ripening. Pinot Noirs look especially good, and though there is a slight drop in acidity in the Rieslings, they look very good as well.   








This brief 2012 EU vintage report should give a general idea of conditions throughout Western Europe. In summary, look out for the Douros, the Burgundies, the Northern Rhônes, the old-vine Sangioveses and Vermentinos from Tuscany and Sardegna, the Pinots from Alto Adige and Germany, and the Ribera del Dueros and Alicante wines from Spain. The Barolos and Barbarescos, German Rieslings, and Loire wines should be pretty good. I would be particularly wary of the Bordeaux, the Cabernets and Merlots from Italy, the wines from Emilia Romagna (except the Lambruscos), the Riojas, and the Bordeaux varietals from the south of Spain. We’ll have to see how these turn out…

- Sarah

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