Vintage Weather
2008 across the wine world
Every region on record for 2008, read the same way: temperature, rain, harvest timing, and the events that shaped the season.
Northern hemisphere
Frost, a wet spring and mildew, then a dry July and sunny autumn for a small, late crop.
A cool, damp, hail-hit year saved by a September north wind; small crop, high acid.
A cool, grey season was rescued by a stunning dry September miracle.
Spring and September rain, mildew and rot; sun and a cool Mistral saved patient growers.
Early flowering, local May hail and a cool, wet September made a late Mosel harvest.
A wet, mildew-hit start, then 50-plus sunny days from late August saved the Nebbiolo.
Wet spring, mildew and August hail in Montalcino; ripe, lighter wines.
A cool, dry Douro year with late flowering, lower yields and a late, calm harvest.
A wet, mildew-prone spring and cool summer were saved by a long Indian summer.
A huge frost season and dry spring cut the crop to its lowest in decades.
A cold, late season saved by warm, dry October days for those who waited.
Frost, drought and wildfire smoke, then an early harvest of smaller crops.
A cool, late season gave lighter reds and crisp, high-acid whites.
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).
A frost on 14 and 15 April 2008 hit most Mendoza vineyards before harvest was finished.
An early start kept most of the crop ahead of a record March heatwave in the Barossa.