The Pyrenees Region has completed another vintage in 2010 with all growers enjoying a return to more normal rainfall patterns for the season.

A slightly milder winter in 2009, with the best winter rainfall for a decade meant all the vineyards looked a picture of health coming into spring with good cover crops all round. Budburst began in the second half of September, and a warm, dry October saw the best canopies seen in recent years. White and Bordeaux varieties enjoyed the conditions, and laid down the healthy canopies. November arrived with a blast of unseasonal heat, however good rains cooled the vines, and allowed a bountiful flowering and set, particularly on the Shiraz. December and January came and went with dry conditions allowing full potential flavour development.

Sparkling wine and white varieties began to be harvested in February, with rainfall seeming to come every second week. The fresh, healthy canopies produced some of the best conditions for sparkling and white varieties seen in recent times. This combined with the mild ripening conditions has resulted in one of the strongest white wine vintages for a long time.

Similar mild conditions allowed the reds, particularly the Bordeaux varieties, the luxury of slowly accumulating flavours, with all fruit picked in the region by the end of April. . Shiraz and Merlot generally yielded good crops with vibrant and spicy characters, but most growers and winemakers in the region agree that the lower cropped 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon based wines will produce superb wines.

Good levels of soil moisture at this stage will provide an excellent springboard for the coming season.

PGW winemaking sub-committee.