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Wine Grape Harvest Report 2003
The 2003 vintage is generally considered one of the best to date thanks to favourable weather conditions throughout the season, from planting to the harvest.
The grapes could ripen slowly on the vine and develop optimum physiological ripeness, with ideal sugar levels, good acids and prominent varietal flavours. Relatively little input was required from producers and some have described it as "almost an organic" year.
A 12,2% increase in total yield is forecast, amounting to an estimated total of 1 211 785 tons. Increases occurred in all the major wine growing regions. One of the reasons for the increased yield is the young plantings that have come into production, particularly Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Pinotage.
Klein Karoo: Drought conditions resulted in a smaller crop. Flood damage to low-lying vineyards was caused by the heavy rains on 22 and 23 March. Wine quality looks very promising, the reds in particular showing intense colour.
Olifants River: The 2003 crop was the biggest ever. The region's potential for the cultivation of quality red grapes was confirmed by the substantial percentage of the crop being delivered to cellars in the Boland.
Orange River: The area was practically disease-free. Healthy grapes with good sugars were produced. Promising Colombar and Chenin blanc. The red cultivars, although limited in volume, should be very good.
Paarl: Production increased by more than 35% in one of the healthiest wine grape seasons in years. Grapes reached optimum ripeness at lower sugar levels, which should result in lower alcohol levels. Full-bodied wines with lots of fruit.
Stellenbosch: The crop is almost 46% bigger than in 2002. A cool growing season resulted in quality wines with good flavours. Reds display lovely colour.
Swartland: The biggest wine grape crop in 15 years. Cool weather, good budding percentages and even growth characterised the growing season. Good viticultural practice, e.g. regular bunch counts and crop control, resulted in high quality wines.
Worcester: A much larger red wine crop was produced. Vineyards received specialised attention and grapes were exceptionally healthy. Investments in cellar technology are now paying off. Flavourful wines.
Robertson: A lot of young red grape vineyards came into full production in one of the healthiest growing seasons ever. Very heavy rain with widespread flood damage on 23 and 24 March. Full-bodied and fruity wines.
Vintage overview
The number of wine regions, their geographic distance and climatological diversity defy generalisation, but the overall characteristics of the previous five vintages may be summarised as follows:
2002: Pay attention to individual cellars, rather than general trends. Downy mildew caused widespread havoc. Good Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage and new clone Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
2001: The summer was very hot and dry with few diseases. Wines were high in alcohol, with very concentrated flavours.
2000: The crop was small. Some excellent red wines that will keep well. Big, alcoholic white wines.
1999: Large crop, warm summer. Excellent ripening conditions. Reds high in alcohol, will develop in time. Fruity whites.
1998: Small crop. Both the ripening season and the harvest were characterised by hot weather. Powerful red wines with lots of fruit and tannins. Will last well. Whites less aromatic.
- Information provided by VinPro and SAWIS
Compiled and written by Romi Boom
- Sawis statistics
Ten years ago, in 1993, an international panel of 15 wine experts ventured predictions about the wine world in the year 2000. "There is no reason why Hungary, Chile and South Africa might not produce some of the best wines in the world by 2000", predicted Anthony Rose in the UK. The panel was less outspoken about cultivars. Everybody more or less expected Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to predominate, but a voice or two voted in favour of Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
Judging from the local new plantings of vines between December 2001 and November 2002, there were a few prophets among the experts. Sauvignon Blanc took the lead among the white plantings while Shiraz occupied the second place among the red plantings. Cabernet Sauvignon is still king, however, with more than 1 000 hectares having been prepared for this cultivar.
Sawis releases annual figures about wine grape vines and according to Fanie van Niekerk, chief executive at Sawis, they have not only good control measurements in place but also receive a high percentage of feedback from producers. On the whole these figures paint an interesting picture about activities in the vineyards ?
By the late 90s there was a significant planting revival in the industry, but the frantic establishment of new vines in new areas was arrested by 2000. Over the last three years there were more uprootings than plantings for the first time in a decade. An interesting and obvious trend is now also the decreased planting of red cultivars in particular.
Plantings and uprootings are driven by market demand for specific cultivars. The market in turn indicates preferences in the prices obtained for certain types of wine. Back in the value chain, the co-operative grape prices for 2000 clearly show the driving forces that have been active the past few years:
Seeing that the co-operative prices can only be determined once the various pools have been closed, these figures are mostly historic. According to Yvette van der Merwe of SAWIS, the co-operative grape prices are applicable to more than 60% of the industry's total production. When one looks at the more recently available 2002 grape prices (excluding grapes delivered by members to co-ops), the figures reveal a minority view (6,0%) on the prices fetched.
From the above it is clear that:
Comparing price trends to 2001, White Hanepoot, Colombar, Cinsaut and Chardonnay showed the biggest average price increases, with Pinotage being the only cultivar to show an obvious decrease in price.
Sawis also compiles a number of graphs illustrating the price of grapes compared to the South African consumer price index over a 10 year period. Chenin Blanc stands out as being extremely unpredictable!
An interesting trend with regard to Chenin Blanc that is pointed out by Yvette van der Merwe, Sawis manager:information services, is the huge difference in the age distribution of vines. She emphasises that the slow replacement rate of older Chenin Blanc causes concern. Unless this matter receives attention, it could happen that a large number of older vines will have to be uprooted all at once, which may cause a vacuum in the availability of Chenin for two to three years.
Among the red cultivars Pinotage has the most uneven distribution. More than two-thirds of all Pinotage is 4 -10 years old and less than 4% is 10 - 20 years old, which clearly indicates that hardly any Pinotage was planted in the decade before last. With regard to Shiraz, on the other hand, more than 90% of all vines are younger than 10 years.
Distribution in the age of white cultivars is more even, but one can comfortably predict that, unless considerable plantings of these cultivars occur in the next five years, there will definitely be some discontinuity with regard to adult, older white producing vines in the years to come.
A quick comparison with the situation in Australia shows that that country's area under vines increased by 21% between 2001 and 2002 compared to South Africa's 1,5%. Shiraz and Cabernet constituted the biggest part of the new plantings in Australia, with Chardonnay being the only heavyweight among the white cultivars. In this same period grape prices started decreasing sharply, and estimates show that the last crop realised an overproduction of between 30 000 and 50 000 tons of grapes.
In 2001 grape prices in Australia decreased by 5,8% on average and in 2002 by 4,9% on average. This makes the local picture look considerably better, and with sensible planning the South African wine industry can only strengthen its competitive position with regard to cultivar profile and plantings.
- Hymli Krige
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