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GRAPE ESCAPE
NEWS FROM THE VINES
with ALEX CASSEGRAIN From Cassegrain Wines
We only have one chance per year to get everything right when it comes to harvest time, and the key determining factor is the weather.
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he La Niña event, which occurred in spring and summer of 2020-21, has resulted in a generally cooler and longer growing season in many regions around NSW. Despite this, the grapes are looking quite good due to the care and hard work viticulturalists have been taking in managing their vineyards through some of these unprecedented weather events. A lot of pressure has been put onto vineyards to keep the vines and grapes healthy and free of disease which has a direct effect on wine quality. While the harvest around most of NSW is several weeks behind previous years, the forecast is starting to look a little bit more favourable for many of the regions we source our grapes from including Orange, Hilltops, Rylstone, Canberra and Tumbarumba.
The overly wet weather has been great for foliage growth but now we need the vine to focus on sugar development in what is already a delayed season to ensure we can pick before it begins to get too cold. This is the type of year that we will be focused on, doing all we can to ensure the grapes get the best care resulting in a fantastic product at the time of bottling. Cassegrain’s 2021 Seasons range has been exceptional. The Seasons Spring Rosé, the Seasons Summer Sauvignon Blanc, and now the newlyreleased Seasons Autumn Syrah Sangiovese are a testament to the quality of the fruit grown despite difficult conditions the weather has thrown at us in 2020. We’re now looking forward to a vintage of exceptional fruit quality and high yield in 2022 from the smaller 2021 harvest. GREATER PORT MACQUARIE
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