NEWS
2010 vintage in selected sparkling wine areas
2010 seems to be a very temperamental year for the harvest: Germany, Austria, France, Spain...
Germany experiences the smallest harvest for a very long time. May was overall cooler resulting in late flowering and in lesser berries in June. August was again wet and encouraged the growth of botrytis. Beginning of October cool but dry winds dehydrated slightly the grape bunches (. This year will show the growers skills how he handled the difficult weather conditions. Nevertheless, the riping with a late harvest will be of main importance. In all regions, acidity is higher due the cold weather. If taken care by the grower there should be a high quality and concentrated wine. 2010 offers wines up to Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Same for Austrian grapegrowers: 2010 was wet in May, delayed flowering and lower fruit set. July offered warmer and drier weather. The following growing season continued to be cool and moist. Quantity is lower than the total normal wine consumption in Austria,” according to the Austrian Viticulture Association. Wines will show also higher acidity but great concentration.
In both countries, prices for wines are likely to rise.
In Northern Spain, the Cava DO had an very productive year. 20 million kilos more than last year according to the Cava Regulatory Board are harvested. A long harvest time due to cooler temperatures produced a fine and aromatic base wine. The slow ripening was also beneficial. There should be really good Cava be on the market in the next years.
But for the Champenoise 2010 was also a difficult vintage. Winter and Spring cold, early summer but long no rain which stressed the vines and stopped maturation. Late summer brought heavy rains and mould which resulted in an early harvest beginning of September with a strict selection (triage). Chardonnay with its looser grape bunches is doing better than the reds. Which means especially for Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir the yields are lower. Nevertheless, harvest limit has increased to 10 500 kg per hectare as a reflection of the recovery of the worldwide Champagne market according to CIVC.
Prosecco gains ground but what about Sekt & Co?
Over the last years, Prosecco seems to become a favourite sparkling wine among UK wine drinkers, according to Wine Intelligence. Main reasons seems to be good value for money as it offers a good alternative to cheaper Champagne, often in better quality. But what about other excellent and moderate priced sparkling wine alternatives? Like the Sekt made in Austria and Germany or the Crémant from France. This year a German and Austrian white sparkling wine won a bronze medal at the Decanter Wine award 2010 (e.g. Divino Nordheim, Germany - they do ship to the UK). Great sparkling wines are made also by Schloss Gobelsburger from the Kamptal, Austria. Try their sparkling wine if you like zesty, refreshing not yeasty Brut which is available in the UK.