2001 Australian Vintage

Winter and spring rains across the major wine producing regions gave healthy vines and good canopies. A scorching summer with record temperatures followed, then rain in February and March. In South Australia the summer was the hottest and driest for almost a century. The heat and drier conditions in early 2001 hurt the earlier ripening white varieties, while the later maturing reds benefited from the reviving rain that came in February, March and April. Most South Australian regions started harvesting 10 days early. In the Barossa Valley, picking started in early February, about two weeks early, and finished for most wineries by the middle of April. In Victoria's Yarra Valley, rain in late March and late April fell during harvest.

The 2001 crop was estimated at 1,426,000 tonnes, up 25% on 2000, and above the 1,305,000 tonnes expected under normal conditions. For the first time in Australian wine history, red winegrape production surpassed white, and Shiraz overtook Chardonnay as the highest tonnage variety.

• Shiraz an all time high of 342,000 tonnes; Cabernet Sauvignon up 58% to 272,000 tonnes
• Pinot Noir up 74% to 32,000 tonnes

Decanter called 2001 "A very good year for premium reds, particularly Barossa Shiraz, which shows rich concentration and ripeness," and said canopy management, lower crops and older vines gave the best fruit. It judged the year not great for Pinot Noir but favourable for Shiraz. Richard Sheedy, chairman of Barossa Winemakers, called it "Overall a great vintage and far better than anyone had dared expect" (Winetitles). Wine Spectator named Riesling and Shiraz as the Clare Valley highlights.

• Decanter's best appellations: Barossa Valley, Riverland, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek, Padthaway