Distell weathers tough harvest

“The most difficult harvest in a decade didn’t stop Distell using excellent quality grapes and only a slightly lower volume than last year,” said Erhard Wolf, Distell’s head of wine and grape buying. V igilance in the vineyards and the piloting of new viticulture practices, in both own vineyards and those of its suppliers, had helped counter potentially adverse conditions, he added.
Explained chief viticulturist Dirk Bosman, “Last year’s cold winter allowed the vines to go into proper dormancy, a prerequisite for good fruit quality, while higher-than-average rainfall helped build good moisture reserves in the soil,” “Conditions were also favourable for an even bud set. A rainy spring and wet weather that continued well into January benefited our dryland vineyards and those that received supplementary irrigation. In these instances, grape quality was outstanding and in some cases yield was as much as 10% higher than usual. “However, in the period leading up to ripening, unseasonal rains across all the wine-growing areas posed the threat of grey and sour rot, as well as downy mildew. This necessitated very careful canopy management from vineyard staff and viticulturists to ensure sufficient aeration to curtail the likelihood of disease.” Bosman added cooler temperatures meant a late start to the harvest, with early cultivars ready a week or two later than usual. “We hoped all cultivars would be similarly affected, but due to hotter weather later in the season, late cultivars ripened earlier than usual, creating a bottleneck of early and late cultivars,” he explained. The hot and humid conditions were also ideal for the development of Botrytis cinerea in many vineyards. This fungus causes noble rot, a unique condition needed for making dessert wines. “This year should give us some first-class wines for local and international markets,” summarised Wolf. – Wouter Kriel