Predictions for the wine year 2014: All over Europe, wine harvest is about to start. We collected some statements from different locations to know: How is the 2014 wine year going to be ?

Michel Drappier, Winery Champagne Drappier, Urville, France :

"After 2013, when the harvest was one of the latest in the last twenty years, which took place mainly in October, 2014 will be among the earliest with a harvest start to Sept. 10. Vines flourished mid-June under a bright sky and the large and well-balanced clusters have developed smoothly over the summer. The Champagne Vineyards are one climatic crossroad of its kind in the wine world and 2014 will reflect this. The high heat of late July which gave power and energy to the growing grapes, followed by a cloudy month of August, partially watered. That weather gives all its freshness and complexity to a wine whose main feature is elegance. 

All varieties are waiting for you. Pinot Noir berries offer a nice variety of tastes. Chardonnay has airy clusters and already golden. Pinot Meunier has a very good sugar / acid ratio and forgotten varieties Arbane, Petit Meslier and White True, very beautiful this year, we will make wine the Quattuor which does not happen every year. There was no Grand Sendrée in 2013 but there will most definitely in 2014 that should be in the best years. We are eager to taste the first clear wines,  wait for winter and spring assemblies ... "

 Manuel Fariña, Winery Bodegas Farina, Toro (Zamora), Spain :

"Here is Toro we had a wed yet warmer than usual winter giving a good high water base level at the time of budding in spring.  Once here the spring was dry with no frosts. Budding was earlier than usual and since there were no frost and the vines were very very healthy the picture was perfect. The summer was temperate and dry, especially towards the end. The slightly cooler than usual summer has compensated for the advanced progress made in Spring. We only had 10 days with temperatures reaching over 35ºC. The beginning of september is looking perfect for correct ripening of the red varietals given the large temperature difference between day and night, with high temperatures during the day (the highest throughout the entire summer, reaching 40ºC) and cold temperatures during the night diving down to 7-8ºC. We are expecting the harvest to start between 7 - 10 days earlier than a normal vintage, with very healthy grapes, great concentration of sugars and perfect polyphenol ripeness resulting as a consequence of overall moderate temperatures (something Toro often lacks is moderate temperatures). Quantity wise we expect a normal to larger than normal harvest. The white varietals will be picked around the 9th September (verdejo and Malvasia) and the reds around the 15th September, although this may be brought forward slightly. We predict that, if all continues as it is, 2014 will be a great vintage in terms of quality and quantity."

Arno Bergler, Steirische Terroir- u. Klassikweingüter, Gamlitz, Austria :

"Persistent rainfall provides plenty of work in the vineyard. The harvest is expected to begin in the 3rd week of September, all hope at the moment on dry, sunny late summer weather. We expect a bountiful harvest, but a very selective and challenging one, because moisture with Botrytis infection has to be expected here and there. Yields are low, especially for Sauvignon Blanc, it was sometimes during flower bunny for strong coulure. Everything is still possible, from an average year up to a qualitatively outstanding. The next 3-5 weeks are crucial! Fingers crossed!"

Fabian Mengel, Vinery Zimmer-Mengel, Engelstadt, Rheinhessen, Germany :

"With predictions, I am generally cautious. Because it is still wide open in terms of the wine year 2014. Just recently, we have our top wines from 2012 and presented in 2013. 2013 was not regarded as the peak year, and yet the wines have developed splendidly, thanks to careful and precise work. Currently we meet first autumn preparations for 2014. We have our plants well prepared, defoliated the grape zone, thinned out and done our homework up to this point. The next step for the year 2014 will be developed during the vintage, which I still want to make a statement. Often wine vintages are benign from the outset or denigrated and this is completely wrong. I would like to withdraw personally. In 4-8 weeks, I can tell you more with certainty ...  What can be said in any case, I want to summarize in the following sentences: At the beginning of the growing season in the spring, we were seen by the level of development been about two weeks before the long-term average. The Blooming has not long attracted, which could lead to relatively compact grapes and any botrytis. In this case, we rely on a negative selection of our equipment before the main harvest. The positive weather trend continued until the end of June, while the rapid projection has slowed somewhat during the course of July and August. Over the recent weeks it has rained good 50 l / m2 with us. Accordingly to the weather conditions we expect a harvest beginning around the 10th to 15th September. The weather matters precisely in the coming weeks."