Vintage Weather
2018 across the wine world
Every region on record for 2018, read the same way: temperature, rain, harvest timing, and the events that shaped the season.
Northern hemisphere
A mildew-hit wet spring gave way to three sunny, dry months and a stress-free harvest.
Wet winter, hot dry summer, and a big, healthy crop picked from late August.
A record-wet winter, then the hottest summer on record and a big, early crop.
Wet June mildew hit the south hardest; sunshine and a cool September ripened the grapes.
A very hot, dry northern year with a ripe, plentiful crop and lush, low-acid wines.
Spring mildew cut the crop; a hot, dry summer gave juicy but uneven wines.
A hot, dry summer brought an early harvest and a big crop of ripe, mild-acid Riesling.
A wet spring and warm summer gave open, approachable Barolo; Nebbiolo yields were limited.
Spring rain, a mild summer and disease pressure in places gave classic, elegant wines.
Wet spring and stormy early July raised mildew fears, then a long, record harvest.
A mild season with no heat spikes, a late harvest and a very large crop.
A very warm, very dry, very sunny year saved by a half inch of September rain.
A cool start and moderate summer gave Sonoma a long, relaxed season and a normal crop.
A hot, dry summer and a cool, timely fall gave Washington balanced 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).
A dry, sunny Mendoza season brought an early harvest and a crop back to normal size.
Heat spikes in the southeast, a November frost and a crush down 10 percent on 2017.