The hot new grapes Australian winemakers are fighting for
Portuguese grape varieties are thriving in our most challenging growing environments. It's a match made in heat-tolerant heaven, writes Max Allen for AFR Magazine's August issue.
‘When the heat came on in January, it looked like we were going to get sizzled,” says Bruce Bassham, a third-generation farmer and grape grower in South Australia’s Riverland.
“One day it got to 48.4 degrees. I drove around the vineyard looking at all these limp leaves. Some of the grapes were burnt. But then when I got to where the new Portuguese varieties are planted, the vines were green and happy: it looked like they were enjoying a cool day.”
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