2008 vintage Down Under

Australia, particularly South Australia, has been coping with one of the most difficult vintages ever known – crippling heat and, yet again, drought. You can see some inkling of this in Richard Hemming’s Vintage in the Vale reports, especially this one.

 
Barossa has suffered less from the effects of drought than many other parts of South Australia, thanks to two important factors: the rain that did fall during the growing season fell at the right times for the vines to make best use of it; the valley's old vines are buffered against individual seasons by their age...