| Have you seen a picture of the grape vine? It is | | | | water and the smoke from the bushfires. What a |
| used in many paintings and has an infinitely delicate | | | | huge impact the blowing of an 'ill wind' has on the |
| and fragile look to it. This is so even in reality. The | | | | vintage! |
| grapes and grapevines are highly prone to getting | | | | However, all was not lost so to speak. According |
| hurt or bruised at any kind given time and during | | | | to ABS 978 million liters of wine was produced in |
| any kind of inclement weather conditions. Too | | | | 2006-07. The earlier crops of 2003-2005 had |
| much rain, bad crop of grapes; too little rain, bad | | | | produced some exceptionally good vintages, so |
| vintage! Only a good rain fall and lovely summer | | | | the Australian wine Exports continued to see an |
| with clement weather and preferably and early | | | | increase in sales and were up by 4%. Even with |
| warm summer will beget a good harvest and a | | | | decreasing prices of wine the Australian Wines |
| very fine vintage. However, you will only find out | | | | have done well in exports worldwide. |
| after the wine has been bottled and aged. | | | | Sales to the UK accounted for 34% of the total |
| The El Niño, in2006-2007, caused severe | | | | export according to ABS followed by the EU and |
| conditions to prevail over the Southern | | | | then by North America. 2005-2006 produced |
| hemisphere. Dry soil, extreme drought, severe | | | | some very fine Rosé wines. Though not |
| frosts, hailstorms and bushfires resulting from it | | | | as popular as the Australian Reds, they are gaining |
| caused widespread destruction of crops and | | | | in popularity. They are basically partly made red |
| added the threat of disease. The grape production | | | | wines and drunk very young. They are very |
| in Australia dropped by a whopping 32% from the | | | | adaptable to a variety of foods with which they |
| previous year according to official Australian | | | | can be drunk as accompaniments; easy to chill, |
| Bureau of Statistics (ABS) surveys. Not only was | | | | fruity, light or full bodied, sparkling or still sweet or |
| the quantity of the crop affected, but the quality | | | | dry or even crisp, bone-dry. They can |
| too was severely impacted by the shortage of | | | | complement any kind of palate. |