The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

Australia's 'weird, weird vintage' 2019

Image

This year's grape harvest in Australia sounds just as full of surprises as Italy's last year, profiled recently here

Apocalyptic. A basket case. A disaster. These are just some of the phrases I’ve heard grape growers use to describe their experience of the low-yielding 2019 Australian vintage as I’ve travelled around the country over the last month. 

And yet, here’s Andreas Clark, CEO of Wine Australia, talking up the wines from 2019 just last week: ‘I’ve been delighted to hear about how positive people are about the quality of the fruit from this vintage ... It is looking like...

Become a member or log in to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 296,870 wine reviews & 16,132 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors

Everything in “Member”, plus:

  • Early access to the latest wine reviews, 48 hours in advance
  • Early access to the latest articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 296,870 wine reviews & 16,132 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade

Everything in “Professional”, plus:

  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
  • Access to submit wines for review
  • Offer memberships to your employees and manage them from a single place
  • API access available for an additional fee
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Max on Oz

Project 5255 vintage 2022 winemakers
Max on Oz In South Australia, giving away grapes turns out to make good business sense. Above, winemakers involved in Project 5255, vintage...
Australia 2023 total crush by grape colour
Max on Oz This column marks ten years of Max Allen’s contributions to JancisRobinson.com. His first regular article, on Australia’s next generation of...
The Goulburn River spilled over its banks, flooding the vineyards at Tahbilk.
Max on Oz Floods and drought collide in eastern Australia. The last time the cellars flooded at Mitchelton was 1974, just after the...
Screwcaps
Max on Oz Do screwcaps preserve wines during a glorious evolution, or stunt their development? In 1977, when Clare Valley winemaker Andrew Mitchell...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Boscastle harbour
Free for all Extraordinary seafood and the magic of a good pairing at The Rocket Store. Boscastle harbour is pictured above. The restaurant...
Ch Langoa Barton chai in May 2025
Free for all How is the work of the ISVV transmitted to the châteaux? And how has it affected the wines? Plus, highlights...
Wanton at XO Kitchen
Bite-sized Umami junkies, head east for jaw-achingly tasty fusion and a Honshu sour. Having garnered itself quite a reputation for clever...
chickens in the HJW vineyard at Hermann J Wiemer, Seneca Lake
Wines of the week The dry white wine that established New York’s Finger Lakes as the Riesling mecca of the US. And it’s only...
Harvest at Robert Weil by Peter Quirin.jpg
Tasting articles A year of extraordinary balance, bright acidity and some of the best Gutsweine in recent memory. Plus a whole lot...
cheddars, apples and fruity red wine
Inside information Real cheddar for real wine. By some small miracle I manage to locate the one with four functioning wheels. My...
Monty on the beach at Betty’s Bay, near Hemel-en Aarde
Tasting articles Coolness and light in bottles from some of South Africa’s best producers. Above, Monty enjoys the cool surf in Betty’s...
Chris Keets (left) and Banele Vanele (right)
Tasting articles Proof that South Africa remains one of the most rewarding countries for wine. Above, Chris Keets (left) of Weather Report...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.