Vintage Weather
1999 across the wine world
Every region on record for 1999, read the same way: temperature, rain, harvest timing, and the events that shaped the season.
Northern hemisphere
A hot summer was undone by a St-Emilion hailstorm and a very wet September.
A huge, healthy crop and hot dry summer made rich reds with silky, ripe tannins.
The hottest year since 1959 made plush, open, low-acid Champagne.
A wet June brought mildew risk, but a warm dry summer built superb wines.
A near-perfect hot summer was tempered by late rain, still yielding excellent wines.
Balanced conditions and no hail damage gave Barolo a quietly great year.
A warm, near-ideal season gave an early harvest of deep, ripe wines.
A favorable season was undone by intermittent rain in late September.
Spring frost cut yields, but a late harvest still delivered real concentration.
A long cool dry season made structured, Bordeaux-like, ageworthy Cabernets.
A nerve-wracking cool year rewarded patience with firm, age-worthy acidity.
A cool season with long hang time and low yields made concentrated wines.
A cool spring gave way to a rescuing warm, dry fall and standout wines.
Southern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere: the vintage year is the harvest year, so the growing season began in the previous calendar year (spring in September to October, harvest in February to April of the vintage year).
Frost and heavy late rain made 1999 difficult, yet the crush topped a million tonnes.