Vintages 1999 - 2024
How vintages shape wines
Each vintage tells a story of its weather, its challenges and its potential. This overview provides a concise summary of the years 1999 to 2024 and illustrates the conditions under which the wines from the Austrian Traditional Wineries were produced.
2020 - 2024
Mild, wet winter months. Early budbreak in a rainy spring. Late frosts in April caused yield losses. Warm summer with heatwaves recalled memories of 2018. Early harvest, accelerated by heavy rain forecasts. Flooding occurred outside viticultural zones. Earliest end of harvest on record. The wines: despite the extremes, fine, balanced, with concentrated fruit.
Winter and spring are dry - no frost. April brings the necessary rainfall for budding. May and June changeable weather with increased peronospora pressure. Late flowering in June. July and August are fine with occasional periods of dry stress. Some rainfall at the beginning of September, then dry and warm harvest weather. Wines with early accessibility, good substance and tannic backbone.
After a dry April, the entire growing season was spoilt with many hours of sunshine and good rainfall. The vineyards were healthy and vigorous, although rot pressure was an issue. During the harvest, the changing weather demanded tactical sensitivity, patience and strong nerves. The wines show a lot of charm and harmony, they are fresh and yet a little softer than last year.
After a dry April, the entire growing season pampered the vines with many hours of sunshine and well-measured rainfall. The vineyards were healthy and vigorous, although concern about rot did become an issue. As the harvest progressed, changing weather conditions demanded tactical sensitivity, patience and nerves of steel. The wines show a lot of charm and harmony – the wines are fresh and yet a bit softer than last year.
After a rather dry, warm winter, springtime followed bringing marked fluctuations in temperature but virtually no rainfall until mid-May. The primary harvest did not begin until the second half of September. Rigorous selection and considerable patience were necessary to produce delicate and refreshing wines with medium body.
2010 - 2019
This year, conditions developed in an ideal way for growers to harvest all sites, varieties and types of wine without haste or stress, from healthy grapes with perfect ripeness. This vintage is therefore one of the undisputed greats; the wines are fine and complex in character, with pronounced varietal typicity.
For many winegrowers the earliest-begun harvest since records have been kept. Strikingly notable early flowering and a dry, hot summer meant that the harvest got underway in August. The September was generally sunny and dry. Overall, 2018 yielded very ripe wines with a nicely integrated acidic structure.
Despite frost in spring followed by heat & drought in summer, growers are pleased with wines providing full ripeness and great aroma intensity, bringing variety typicity to the fore.
Frost at the end of April and large volumes of precipitation from May–July make for a challenging vegetation cycle. Nevertheless, a nicely ripened and aromatic vintage, thanks to satisfying fruit flavours engendered by the cool nights.
An unusual nighttime hailstorm in early May brings bad news to Niederösterreich. After flowering, the vineyards endure drought and extended periods of heat, yielding lush wines with lots of depth and density.
Difficult weather conditions, a great deal of precipitation and little sunshine, plus damage from hail mean that a lot of care from the winegrowers is necessary. Meticulous selection results in fruit-driven, slender to medium-weight wines with fresh acidity.
A heat wave in June causes losses from an uneven fruit set to the Grüner Veltliner. Despite all the capricious weather, with the help of diligent vineyard work & careful timing of the harvest, all winegrowing regions manage high quality white wines.
Late frost in May causes damage & crop loss. The good water supply in July and cool nights in September yield nicely concentrated & well-structured wines of high quality.
After the lean stretch in terms of volume through recent years, the vintage presents itself with elegantly balanced white wines & perfectly ripened reds.
The vintage is characterised by a great deal of rainfall and relatively few hours of sunshine. The result is a small harvest volume, featuring fruit-driven wines with racy acidity.
1999 - 2009
Modest volume & excellent quality: these legendary ‘Niner’ vintages will live up to their reputation. Reduction in yields leads to a perfect combination of ripeness, opulence of fruit & complexity.
‘Hail & lots of wet weather’– that’s the vintage! Nevertheless, there are nicely fruity & vivacious wines, covering a wide range of maturity levels.
A mild winter and a warm spring bring what is next to 2003 the second-earliest blossoming ever. Rainfall in September becomes a bit of a challenge in some places. The wines are characterised by abundant fruit and good structural acidity.
The long & cold winter provides a great deal of moisture, followed by a cool spring, a variable summer and then the perfect autumn. Healthy & fully ripened grape material provides the basis for fruity, full-bodied & nicely balanced wines.
Despite rather variable weather conditions, the wines are resplendent with beautiful harmony, marvellous intensity and impressive brilliance of fruit.
A very damp and not-too-chilly winter followed by a fresh month of May with cool nights causes the vegetation cycle to proceed slowly. The extended period of maturing on the vine yields wines that are characterised by deep, lively fruit and fiery aromatics.
The vintage is characterised by persistent aridity & extreme heat, with record temperatures in summer & autumn, yielding wines that possess density & power.
The Danube River Region has to cope with massive volumes of rainfall in August, and the resulting onset of rot. Nevertheless, meticulous selection of grapes yields wines of satisfying quality.
Inconsistent weather in spring & summer is followed by a wet & cool September. Strict regulation of yields and intensive foliage canopy work are absolutely necessary. An almost midsummery October allows the grapes to ripen beautifully.
In Austria, 2000 figures as the red wine vintage, with intense colour & ripe tannins. A hot year with authoritative & opulent wines.
Optimal weather conditions in autumn make for powerful, well-structured white & red wines. Clear, varietally expressive fruit flavours and regionally typical character are the positive results of an allround successful vintage.
