Vintages › 2018

The 2018 vintage: weather around the world

In 2018, 35 of 41 regions here had a growing season more than 3% warmer than their 1991–2020 normal; 1 were more than 3% cooler. North of the equator that was 26 of 28 warmer (season April–October 2018); in the south 9 of 13 (October 2017 to April 2018).

Furthest above normalCentral Otago +44%
Furthest belowJerez -4%
Wettest harvest windowPriorat +53%
Driest seasonPaso Robles -77%

The warmest season since 2000 for Central Otago, Wachau, Rheingau, Champagne, Mosel, Tokaj, Alsace, Burgundy (Côte d'Or), Marlborough, Finger Lakes.

Every region's 2018 season on the heat scale

Growing degree days in 2018, with each region's difference from its own normal in the label. Colour shows how warm the season was for that region.

Warmest to coolest against normal

Much cooler (8%+ fewer GDD)
Cooler
Near normal (±3%)
Warmer
Much warmer (8%+ more)

Central Otago

New Zealand · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 1,260 GDD +44%
Season rain: 334 mm -5%
Harvest rain: 124 mm +36%

Hot months: Oct +3.2° Nov +3.1° Dec +3.9° Jan +5.4°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler I

Wachau

Austria

Much warmer

Heat: 1,370 GDD +42%
Season rain: 408 mm -21%
Harvest rain: 101 mm -15%

Hot months: Apr +5.8° May +3.0° Aug +3.3° Sep +2.4° Oct +3.4°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler I

Rheingau

Germany

Much warmer

Heat: 1,550 GDD +36%
Season rain: 222 mm -39%
Harvest rain: 36 mm -65%

Hot months: Apr +3.8° May +3.1° Jul +3.5° Aug +2.4° Sep +2.6° Oct +2.9°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Champagne

France

Much warmer

Heat: 1,580 GDD +34%
Season rain: 254 mm -31%
Harvest rain: 26 mm -47%

Hot months: Apr +3.1° May +2.8° Jul +4.1° Aug +2.2° Sep +2.5° Oct +2.8°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Mosel

Germany

Much warmer

Heat: 1,420 GDD +34%
Season rain: 280 mm -36%
Harvest rain: 18 mm -75%

Hot months: Apr +3.8° May +3.2° Jul +3.2° Aug +2.1° Sep +2.2° Oct +2.5°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Tokaj

Hungary

Much warmer

Heat: 1,910 GDD +32%
Season rain: 322 mm -21%
Harvest rain: 86 mm -12%

Hot months: Apr +4.8° May +3.5° Aug +3.0° Sep +2.8° Oct +4.1°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Alsace

France

Much warmer

Heat: 1,770 GDD +31%
Season rain: 229 mm -38%
Harvest rain: 46 mm -55%

Hot months: Apr +4.1° May +2.2° Jul +2.8° Aug +2.7° Sep +3.5° Oct +2.6°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Burgundy (Côte d'Or)

France

Much warmer

Heat: 1,770 GDD +25%
Season rain: 287 mm -37%
Harvest rain: 15 mm -76%

Hot months: Apr +3.0° Jul +2.7° Aug +2.1° Sep +4.0° Oct +2.5°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Loire Valley (Touraine)

France

Much warmer

Heat: 1,710 GDD +24%
Season rain: 284 mm -20%
Harvest rain: 67 mm -44%

Hot months: Apr +2.2° Jul +2.9° Aug +2.0° Sep +2.7° Oct +2.4°

Rank 3 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Northern Rhône

France

Much warmer

Heat: 2,140 GDD +19%
Season rain: 395 mm -24%
Harvest rain: 9 mm -91%

Hot months: Apr +2.9° Jul +2.7° Sep +4.1°

Rank 2 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Coonawarra

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 1,750 GDD +18%
Season rain: 188 mm -18%
Harvest rain: 44 mm -29%

Hot months: Nov +3.5° Jan +2.5° Apr +2.8°

Rank 3 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Marlborough

New Zealand · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 1,460 GDD +17%
Season rain: 513 mm +22%
Harvest rain: 149 mm +25%

Hot months: Dec +2.5°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Yarra Valley

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 1,820 GDD +16%
Season rain: 439 mm -9%
Harvest rain: 58 mm -54%

Hot months: Nov +3.1° Apr +2.2°

Rank 4 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Chianti Classico

Italy

Much warmer

Heat: 2,010 GDD +16%
Season rain: 482 mm -1%
Harvest rain: 160 mm -22%

Hot months: Apr +3.1° Sep +2.2° Oct +2.1°

Rank 4 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Finger Lakes

United States

Much warmer

Heat: 1,570 GDD +16%
Season rain: 630 mm +11%
Harvest rain: 180 mm +14%

Hot months: May +3.7°

Rank 1 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Valpolicella

Italy

Much warmer

Heat: 2,330 GDD +14%
Season rain: 579 mm +3%
Harvest rain: 164 mm -10%

Hot months: Apr +3.0° Sep +2.1° Oct +2.5°

Rank 2 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Barossa Valley

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 2,140 GDD +14%
Season rain: 112 mm -44%
Harvest rain: 23 mm -59%

Hot months: Apr +3.9°

Rank 3 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Bordeaux

France

Much warmer

Heat: 1,780 GDD +14%
Season rain: 430 mm -7%
Harvest rain: 95 mm -43%

Hot months: Jul +2.0° Sep +2.9°

Rank 4 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

McLaren Vale

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 2,140 GDD +13%
Season rain: 123 mm -33%
Harvest rain: 41 mm -33%

Hot months: Nov +2.1° Apr +2.8°

Rank 2 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Willamette Valley

United States

Much warmer

Heat: 1,380 GDD +13%
Season rain: 253 mm -16%
Harvest rain: 104 mm -13%

Hot months: May +2.2° Jul +2.7°

Rank 8 of 26 for heat · Winkler I

Languedoc

France

Much warmer

Heat: 2,300 GDD +12%
Season rain: 499 mm +61%
Harvest rain: 14 mm -77%

Hot months: Jul +2.0° Aug +2.1° Sep +2.6°

Rank 4 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Hawke's Bay

New Zealand · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 1,600 GDD +11%
Season rain: 547 mm +18%
Harvest rain: 229 mm +47%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 2 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Piedmont (Langhe)

Italy

Much warmer

Heat: 2,160 GDD +11%
Season rain: 555 mm +46%
Harvest rain: 181 mm +35%

Hot months: Sep +2.2°

Rank 5 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Southern Rhône

France

Much warmer

Heat: 2,410 GDD +11%
Season rain: 639 mm +45%
Harvest rain: 11 mm -88%

Hot months: Jul +2.0° Sep +3.2°

Rank 4 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Hunter Valley

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 2,610 GDD +10%
Season rain: 433 mm -20%
Harvest rain: 100 mm -42%

Hot months: Dec +2.7° Jan +2.0° Apr +2.4°

Rank 2 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Priorat

Spain

Much warmer

Heat: 2,420 GDD +10%
Season rain: 433 mm +57%
Harvest rain: 178 mm +53%

Hot months: Jul +2.5° Sep +2.4°

Rank 6 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Niagara Peninsula

Canada

Much warmer

Heat: 1,530 GDD +9%
Season rain: 605 mm +9%
Harvest rain: 193 mm +28%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 8 of 26 for heat · Winkler II

Kakheti

Georgia

Much warmer

Heat: 2,270 GDD +9%
Season rain: 436 mm -8%
Harvest rain: 58 mm -48%

Hot months: Jul +3.2°

Rank 6 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Mendoza (Luján de Cuyo)

Argentina · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Much warmer

Heat: 2,260 GDD +8%
Season rain: 97 mm -40%
Harvest rain: 9 mm -79%

Hot months: Mar +2.3° Apr +2.5°

Rank 7 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

Ribera del Duero

Spain

Warmer

Heat: 1,730 GDD +8%
Season rain: 211 mm +9%
Harvest rain: 48 mm -31%

Hot months: Aug +2.4° Sep +4.0°

Rank 12 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Columbia Valley

United States

Warmer

Heat: 1,690 GDD +6%
Season rain: 63 mm -7%
Harvest rain: 28 mm +15%

Hot months: May +4.2° Jul +2.1°

Rank 12 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Rioja

Spain

Warmer

Heat: 1,780 GDD +5%
Season rain: 327 mm +33%
Harvest rain: 81 mm +13%

Hot months: Sep +3.1°

Rank 13 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Douro Valley

Portugal

Warmer

Heat: 1,720 GDD +4%
Season rain: 421 mm -13%
Harvest rain: 100 mm -56%

Hot months: Aug +2.4° Sep +3.5°

Rank 14 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Paso Robles

United States

Warmer

Heat: 1,970 GDD +3%
Season rain: 12 mm -77%
Harvest rain: 4 mm -79%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 9 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Napa Valley

United States

Warmer

Heat: 2,000 GDD +3%
Season rain: 77 mm -27%
Harvest rain: 16 mm -56%

Hot months: Jun +2.1°

Rank 9 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Sonoma County

United States

Near normal

Heat: 1,830 GDD +2%
Season rain: 129 mm -14%
Harvest rain: 40 mm -21%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 11 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Maipo Valley

Chile · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Near normal

Heat: 1,860 GDD +0%
Season rain: 68 mm -23%
Harvest rain: 14 mm -63%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 13 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Margaret River

Australia · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Near normal

Heat: 1,910 GDD -0%
Season rain: 206 mm -15%
Harvest rain: 30 mm -42%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 16 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Stellenbosch

South Africa · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Near normal

Heat: 2,140 GDD -1%
Season rain: 239 mm +9%
Harvest rain: 40 mm -6%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 20 of 26 for heat · Winkler IV

Colchagua Valley

Chile · Oct 2017–Apr 2018

Near normal

Heat: 1,700 GDD -2%
Season rain: 129 mm +14%
Harvest rain: 38 mm -5%

No month ran 2°C above its normal high

Rank 13 of 26 for heat · Winkler III

Jerez

Spain

Cooler

Heat: 2,500 GDD -4%
Season rain: 271 mm +34%
Harvest rain: 13 mm -51%

Hot months: Sep +2.2°

Rank 25 of 26 for heat · Winkler V

The weather of a season, not a verdict on its wines. Growers pick earlier in hot years and fight rot in wet ones; good and poor wines come from both.