By Wine SpectatorVineyards in the U.S. and Europe are just flowering, but there's juice fermenting in the tanks down south, in the Southern Hemisphere, that is. The 2010-2011 growing season was cool and cloudy in South America. An early frost lowered yields in Argentina, and wet weather made February a nerve-wracking month. On the other side of the Andes, Chilean winemakers just hoped the grapes could hang on the vine long enough to ripen.
Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming vintage. Check out Wednesday's report on Australia and New Zealand and check back Friday for reports from South Africa.
Argentina
An early, severe frost in Mendoza, Argentina's leading wine region, set the tone for a challenging 2011 vintage for winemakers, who also had to battle periods of high winds, hail, drought and heavy rain. Cool temperatures throughout the season delayed maturation, but an Indian summer ripened grapes before harvest. Winemakers are expecting elegantly styled wines, with higher acidity levels than usual.
"Alcohol levels are between 0.1 and 0.2 percent higher than normal," said Luis Reginato, vineyard director for Bodega Catena Zapata. "The reason is the extra dry March and April that we had. What is remarkable is the high acidity in 2011 compared with normal vintages."
Santiago Achával, president of Achával-Ferrer, said the early frost, which hit the second week of November, was the worst...Read Full Article
