Hahndorf Hill Winery
  Adelaide Hills
Gruner Veltliner bunch vintage 2014 at Hahndorf Hill
Sure we’ve had heat spikes and one huge rain event this vintage, but the defining feature of this vintage would have to be the cold. It was the seemingly never-ending cold weather between September and till virtually just before Christmas that has had the biggest impact on all the varieties which we will be harvesting this autumn.
Gruner Veltliner, more specifically, has been impacted quite profoundly since its flowering occurred during the cold, wet and windy conditions of spring. The consequence of this has been extremely significant and interesting – and has resulted in the smallest crop with the smallest bunches and the smallest berries that I have experienced since planting this exciting variety in 2008.
Given that Gruner Veltiner is normally known for its extraordinary generosity of fruit production and bunches that can be of biblical proportions, it is particularly intriguing for me to see the changes this vintage. It is almost as if I’m walking through a vineyard populated by another variety, one that has petite 8o gram bunches composed of shy little berries. Â The only clue that this is indeed Gruner Veltliner is the classic blue-green luminosity of the berries.
I am, of course, hoping and anticipating, that this vintage will offer all the quality advantages of über low yields plus small, intense berries and I can barely wait for all the fruit to be picked and the juice to be in the tank. My prediction is that this is going to be the small, cold year that produced big results!