Spring, Summer or Winter?

The weather constantly caputres our minds. This should not be a surprise tough since our vines are constantly exposed to the elements. This year it really is somewhat remarkable tough. Following an amazingly hot April, May has tured out completely opposite. Especially in its last third and in early June, cold and wet conditions have influenced the development of our vineyards.

Luckily we did not have as much rain as other parts of Austria. The rain we did get was actually rather appreciated since the vines do need a sizeable amount of water in this time of the season. While the western parts of our country were plagued by heavy rains and floods, we even enjoyed a few tender hours of sunshine. The photo shows a typical weather situation of our area. Rain passes by directly in view on our western horizon. In a dry season this sight can be quite unsettling but this time we’ve been rather glad about it.

The cold is something different tough as it slows down our vines growing as well as their bloom. Early varieties started flowering around May 28th last year, but this year they still need a few more days as well as some additional sunshine. Thus the weather currently extends the growing season and will lead to a later harvest. Considering the 2012 vintage where harvest started in August already, this is not at all bad tough. But still, we will need warmer weather when the vines finally start to blossom because only that ensures a good grape development afterwards.

Let’s hope for the best and see how the year continues.