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The 2002 harvest in South Africa will go down in history as the most difficult harvest in 30 years, comparable only to the peronospora year of 1977. But despite the many challenges, there were also many opportunities for the winegrowers. Confusing climatic conditions prevailed in the Cape throughout the year, although the year got off to a promising start with welcome winter rainfall that finally replenished all the dams and reservoirs after four dry years. The winter was unusually cold, allowing the vines a restful dormancy. The cool temperatures lasted until late in the spring, which led the vintners to hope for a slow ripening with greater aroma concentrations in the berries. Although a normal to large crop was initially expected, it became apparent early on that the grapes were generally lighter in weight, which also led to a desired slow ripening due to the greater ratio of berry skin to seeds. Another phenomenon that is relatively rare in South Africa but was welcomed by many in 2002 is the achievement of physiological ripeness at a lower sugar content. This means that the wines have less potential alcohol. However, it was not only nature that played an important role in 2002, but also the human factor - especially in a year where determination, awareness, experience and financial resources were necessary for success.

The external conditions promised a larger harvest and the majority of growing areas reported a good and even budbreak. Despite this, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Swartland reported their lowest yields in five years after harvest. So what had happened? The reason lies in the numerous diseases that occurred in South Africa this year, low grape weights and extremely low yields in some regions. The total harvest of 1,061,757 tonnes (808 million litres) is even less than the 2001 harvest, which was already low in yield. However, there were also whopping increases in some areas. The Orange River region, for example, which was largely spared the rain, reported a plus of 107 percent compared to the previous year. Numerous wineries, on the other hand, reported crop failures. Well-known and big wineries like Asara, Delheim, Simonsig and Slaley had losses between 30 and 40 percent, some even up to 80 percent. The grape varieties most affected were the important Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Less affected were Pinotage, Syrah, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. But some winemakers also struggled with the Chardonnay vineyards. Especially Ross Gower from Klein Constantia was worried about the infested areas of the noble white variety.

The biggest challenges for the winegrowers were powdery mildew, botrytis and the unusually long heat waves. The conditions for mildew in particular were perfect, with lots of rain, high temperatures and high humidity. Thus, powdery mildew appeared in regions of South Africa where no infestation had been recorded in the past. Merlot vines were most affected by the disease, but Cabernet Sauvignon was also affected. It is not possible to specify exactly by region, because depending on the microclimate and grape variety, heavily infested areas stood directly next to healthy areas. Many winegrowers were not prepared for the sudden infestation. Especially vintners who rely on organic viticulture were affected and experienced losses of up to 100% for some varieties. James Farquharson of Reyneke Wines, for example, had to cut out 50 per cent of his Pintoage grapes so that the few leaves that remained after the mildew infestation could bring the remaining grapes to ripeness. Often, mildew could only be stopped with the use of chemical sprays. But even those who used chemicals often sprayed too late or did not have the financial means to buy sufficient quantities of sprays or could not use the short breaks between rainy days to spray the entire vineyard.

The smaller farms were at an advantage because they could spray their entire vineyards within two or three days. January, normally warm and dry in South Africa, was cold and rainy, which led not only to further powdery mildew, which damaged the leaves, but also to botrytis and acid rot. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay were particularly affected here. During this time, it was particularly important to strictly hand-select infested areas in the vineyard. At the same time, the cool climate offered the chance to get good quality berries with beautiful aromas. In December and January, rainfall increased to 393mm in Stellenbosch, 239mm in Elign and a high 543mm in Paarl. The otherwise dry Swartland, Malmesbury and Piketberg regions reported twice the rainfall of the previous year. In the village of Kuruman in the Kalahari, for example, it rained as much on five days in January as it usually does in five years. Only twelve months earlier, winegrowers in the Cape complained of unbearable heat with numerous bush fires in the wine-growing areas. Despite the problems in January, 2002 could still have been a good year if the intense heat waves that occurred in February had not further dampened optimism.

Thus an unusual constellation occurred in the middle of the harvest. From the end of February to mid-March, a heat wave drove temperatures to well over 30 degrees. Then, shortly before Easter, an average of 100 millimetres of rain fell within two days, raining off the harvest for numerous farms. If the rain had not fallen around Easter, one could have hoped for a first-class harvest, but the damp vineyards were a veritable breeding ground for rot and in some cases botrytis after the heat waves. The unspeakable heat made the white varieties fuller and riper, so that it was not uncommon for the red and white varieties to ripen together. The intense sun also caused damage to the berries and those who did not have enough moisture in the soil at this time could lose many a vine. With the end of the heat waves, cool weather like in autumn set in immediately and it became difficult for the winegrowers to bring the late-ripening grapes to full physiological ripeness. Virus-infected Cabernet Sauvignon, which could hardly develop any colour and little potential alcohol, had a particularly hard time. This change in weather in the middle of the harvest makes this year's harvest one of the longest in South Africa's history. In some farms, such as Asara, there is the possibility for good Noble Late Harvest wines, but mostly sour rot was involved, which not infrequently leads to the total loss of the affected vineyards.

The climatic conditions are very similar to the 1997 harvest, which produced some first-class Sauvignon Blancs, because the cool and thus prolonged ripening phase has a positive effect on fruit intensity. We can expect the best results in white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Chardonnay. In some regions we can also expect very good botrytis wines. Among the red varieties, the best wines will be made from the Shiraz grape, but also from Merlot, if it could be harvested between the heat waves. Pinotage and virus-free Cabernet Sauvignon also produced good results. The quality of the wines is very mixed, even within the producers. In such a difficult year, one should look for individual producers and individual products when buying wine and not look at one grape variety or one region, because there have rarely been such heterogeneous results in South African wine.

All in all, it can be said that many of the winegrowers would like nothing more than not to have another harvest like in 2002, because not only the nerves of the winegrowers were strained, but partly - because of the spraying programmes - also their wallets. It is almost certain that the prices for South African wine will rise. This is not only due to the much smaller harvests, but also to the weak rand and the resulting increase in the wineries' costs for barrels, bottles, corks and capsules. The quality of the wines, which could already be tasted as barrel samples at the Cape Wine trade fair held in April, generally give hope for a promising quality. However, the quality of the reds will not come close to vintages like 1998 or 1999. Among the white wines, we will get some great Botrytis wines, but also first-class Sauvignon Blanc, for example from Mulderbosch or Vergelegen. The quality of the white wines is generally a bit higher than that of the reds, so we can expect decent to good wines despite a viticultural nightmare year.

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