For those who make a living out of grapes and wine, keeping an eye on temperatures each year has become an almost obsessive pastime.  In the Southern Highlands our warm autumn has had some happy vignerons picking thick-skinned red grapes, that would usually never ripen at incredibly high Baumé (bow may).

Baumé is the degree of sugar level measured in the liquid of a grape and is an indicator of when to pick the fruit.  In the past, Cabernet Sauvignon was always a difficult grape to ripen in the Highlands and many growers chose to graft more suitable, cool-climate varieties onto Cabernet rootstock to give them a better change of a profitable harvest.  

This year some wineries are reporting excellent crops of Cabernet Sauvignon, picked as high as 14 Baume. This equates to an alcohol percentage of approximately 14 per cent in the resulting wine. Who would have guessed and is climate change the reason?

Could we now be looking at a time when the Highlands is capable of growing not only Cabernet Sauvignon, but even bigger and bolder grapes such as Shiraz or Durif which are grown in warmer climates. 

Either way, it’s good to know our wineries enjoyed an excellent vintage and we look forward to the fruits of their labour soon.