Using South American Grapes for a Second Winemaking Season

And you thought there was only one time each year to make wine from fresh grapes; in the autumn season. But, surprise, there is another whole world south of the Equator. As it turns out, the four seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are shifted six months compared to the Northern Hemisphere. The peak heat of their summer is experienced in January, compared to July in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that grapes ripen and are harvested during our spring, (their autumn) in the February to May timeframe. The grapes are shipped and become available to us in North America starting towards the end of April. This in turn suggests that whites can be ready for bottling (assuming six months aging) in the September or October timeframe of the same year, and for reds in one year, the following April. Winegrowing in the Southern Hemisphere To make it even more interesting, there are some outstanding Southern Hemisphere grape growing regions; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile, to name a few. The number of grape importers in North America bringing