2016 Australian Vintage

In Coonawarra, end of winter rainfall was below average, and a warmer than average October advanced the whole season: flowering, veraison and harvest were all a couple of weeks early. The September to March growing season there delivered only half the normal rainfall, and a cold Bonney Upwelling at the coast moderated temperatures from January onwards. In Victoria's Yarra Valley, a dry winter and spring with record October warmth led to another very early harvest. The Barossa Valley had rainfall at 72 percent of the long-term average and a hot December and February, and widespread rain at the end of January eased the heat in the Eden Valley. The Hunter Valley had above average rainfall in December and January, with 338mm in January, then negligible rain through February to the end of vintage. In the Riverina, multiple heatwaves from December to February brought a fast harvest, slowed only by rain around Australia Day. Yields ran average to above average in the Barossa Valley, but some Hunter Valley vineyards lost 50 percent of their crop and others all of it.

• A sustained drought affected South Australia and Tasmania
• Mornington Peninsula: coldest winter in 26 years and the lowest October rainfall since 1900
• Coonawarra: a cooler finish with mild ripening conditions

James Halliday's Wine Companion reported that Barossa Valley wineries nominated Shiraz and Grenache as outstanding, and that Eden Valley quality was very good to excellent, led by Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the Adelaide Hills, low winter and spring rainfall required early irrigation, rare for the region, and rain in late January gave above average yields. McLaren Vale reports agreed on Shiraz, with Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon also praised. The Riverland had a compressed vintage, with yields slightly down on 2014 and 2015.

• Clare Valley: Riesling, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon the standouts
• Adelaide Hills: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc the best whites, Shiraz and Pinot Noir the best reds
• Coonawarra: the Coonawarra Vignerons reported outstanding color and tannins in the reds and good natural acidity in the whites
• Mount Benson, Robe, Wrattonbully and Padthaway: potential yields significantly better than 2014 and 2015

The Yarra Valley had an exceptionally compressed harvest, with yields higher than in recent years, and the Wine Companion reported high hopes for Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Nagambie Lakes had its quickest vintage on record, just over four weeks against the usual eight to nine; the simultaneous ripening of whites and reds left winemakers scrambling for fermentation space. A January 3 thunderstorm dropped 85 to 100mm of rain there in two hours, but dry, windy conditions afterward prevented disease outbreaks.

• Mornington Peninsula: Pinot Noir the best variety, overall quality average to above average
• Bendigo: Cabernet Sauvignon the best variety
• Macedon Ranges: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the picks, overall quality excellent

In the Hunter Valley, growers who ran a stringent sorting system for Semillon came through, and Shiraz was picked over February with excellent color. Mudgee recorded only 16mm of rain from February to April, one of the driest harvests on record. In Orange all varieties ripened rapidly in a very compressed vintage, short of tank and barrel space. The Canberra District felt the El Nino effect with a dry spring and early summer, then 90mm of rain in the last week of January.

• Riverina: harvest finished by March 17, the earliest finish in living memory
• Hilltops: two of the major players rated the season exceptional, comparable with 2014