2013 Australia Vintage

Winter rains were generally good. In the Barossa Valley, 2012 rainfall was the fifth driest on record and spring rainfall was well below average. Lightning storms at flowering damaged the emerging inflorescences; with continued dry conditions, that led to poor fruitset in most varieties. In Margaret River, spring storms at flowering cut fruit set for Semillon and Chardonnay. Summer 2013 was the hottest on record and one of the driest, with heatwaves across south-eastern Australia and bushfires in the southern parts of SA and Victoria. Victoria had warm and dry weather after two vintages marked by cool, often wet conditions. A Barossa heat spell over 33 degrees C from 12 to 18 February cost many vineyards more of their potential yield. The harvest was early and very condensed in many regions.

• Summer 2013 the hottest on record and one of the driest
• Bushfires in the southern parts of SA and Victoria
• Early and very condensed harvest in many regions

Wine Spectator reported Australian vintners describing a small crop, with dry conditions in the east and storms in the west, though the WFA put the national crush up 11 percent. Winetitles called 2013 the Barossa Valley's driest, earliest and quickest vintage in memory, and John Duval said Barossa yields were down 30 to 50 percent. In Victoria, harvest began in early February and was mostly done by mid-March. Western Australia had a warm, dry summer and nearly ideal harvest weather.

• Barossa Valley: almost all picked by the end of March
• Yarra Valley: crops down 10 to 20 percent, rated excellent by the Yarra Valley Wine Growers Association
• Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra avoided the worst of the heat

Matt Fowles of Fowles Wines told Wine Spectator that "reds will perform, with Shiraz being the shining star and Cabernet nipping at its heels". In Margaret River, Bruce Dukes of Streicker Wines told Wine Spectator: "Whites are richly flavored, nicely perfumed and balanced with generous textures". In the Yarra Valley, Winetitles described the wines as showing full and balanced flavour with a great depth of colour.

• Barossa: Winetitles saw Grenache as a possible standout, with Shiraz not far behind
• Eden Valley and Clare Valley: good natural acidity in Riesling, despite the heat

The larger crop is attributable to an absence of major events such as disease or flooding, plus enough water for irrigation. The WFA suggested the crop may be a reasonable indication of a normal vintage. Reds rose 14 percent and whites 7 percent, and Shiraz passed Chardonnay by 35,000 tonnes.

• 1.83 million tonnes, 100,000 tonnes above the six-year average
• Warm inland regions about 1.1 million tonnes, up 13 percent