2022 VINTAGE UPDATE FROM TONI PLA BOU, SENIOR WINEMAKER
Happy New Year!
The Spring and Summer of 2021/2022 has been a ‘la Nina’ or wetter than average season so far. Healthy growth has appeared across our Estate vineyard and our dedicated growers. Whilst it has so far been a cool growing season, we have experienced some patches of warmer and humid weather. This will produce an even greater explosion of growth setting up an effective canopy to ripen fruit over a longer growing season.
Our passionate and experienced Vineyard & Grounds Manager – Mario Zanotto has been kept very busy tending to the vines and mowing the mid rows over this festive season. The benefit of mowing encourages and stimulates the roots to push down further into the soil, allowing more air and nutrients to follow. This produces excellent conditions for the microbes that provide nitrogen to the vine. Vines that are afforded excellent nutrition produce the greatest wines.
The grapevines are now at a very important stage of the growing season – veraison. Veraison is a physiological stage in the grapevine’s life cycle that is marked by a change in the appearance and hardness of the grape berry. All grape berries are the colour of green peas before veraison starts and then white grapes slowly turn to a golden colour and red grapes turn to a purple colour. Up until now, the berries are very firm. Once they get through veraison, the berries are pliable and can be deformed when squeezed between the thumb and index finger.
After veraison is complete, the grapes now begin to increase in size as they accumulate sugars and develop aroma compounds. It is during this ripening phase, that acid levels begin to fall within the grapes. The acids continue to fall and the sugars continue to rise until they are perfectly balanced and ready for harvest. 2022 is shaping up as an excellent quantity vintage year where you can achieve fresh, intensely flavoured and balanced grapes, leading to very high quality wines for Gapsted. We can’t wait to share them with you!
Gapsted Wine Club members - you'll be the first to hear about our new vintages and enjoy your exclusive Wine Club discount.
Not a member? Join today for FREE and save up to 25% on full priced wine and receive free delivery within Australia (ex. the NT) when you purchase 6 or more bottles. Find out more here.
