1991

Napa Valley: Vineyards entered the growing season in a state of dormancy, induced by a December freeze which saw temperatures plummet into the teens. Heavy March rainfall prior to budbreak, followed by ideal weather during bloom, resulted in an abundant set of excellent fruit. Thinning of the resultant large crop was important and widespread. Cool to moderate temperatures, broken by a brief heat spike in early July, extended the growing season...

Napa Valley: Vineyards entered the growing season in a state of dormancy, induced by a December freeze which saw temperatures plummet into the teens. Heavy March rainfall prior to budbreak, followed by ideal weather during bloom, resulted in an abundant set of excellent fruit. Thinning of the resultant large crop was important and widespread. Cool to moderate temperatures, broken by a brief heat spike in early July, extended the growing season — ideal for concentrating fruit flavors and maintaining desirable high acidity. All varietals were intensely colored and rich in flavor at harvest.

Vintage Port: The first declared vintage in six years, the longest gap between declarations in decades, was a widely declared excellent year and produced some very promising colorful and aromatic wines. The best ones will age for decades.

BURGUNDY 1991: A vintage that was completely overlooked at first - after the great 1990s, this was no surprise. In early spring there was a severe frost which significantly reduced the potential volume. Flowering was long and took place in cool conditions. The summer was hot and dry, but a violent local storm on August 22 brought hail to the vineyards of Morey in Vosne and caused serious damage. The month of August ended with beautiful sunny weather which continued until September and until the harvest.

Good quality whites of elegance and pure fruit. The reds were more uneven - some wines tight and too many extracts, but overall a successful vintage that yielded wines of strength and depth and significant aging potential. La Tâche 1991 is still an astonishing wine.

Burgundian vintage by Leflaive / The climatic conditions were very contrasting throughout the Burgundy vineyard. After three years of mild winters, the winter snow of 1990-91 was very beneficial.

The mild and rainy spring allowed early buds, thanks to a sudden rise in temperatures in March. A light frost on April 24, which at the Domaine affected part of Burgundy and the village appellation plots, then blocked the vegetation.
Flowering extended from mid-June to early July. After a dry and sunny summer, storms broke out in August, bringing beneficial precipitation for ripening to develop favorably. The harvest at the Domaine did not begin until September 30, lasting until October 7 (Chevalier on the 4th under the sun; the previous week had been very rainy throughout the Côte de Beaune - 100 mm). Thanks to this sunny week of harvest and a large team (90 people), the harvest lasted only eight days. Excellent concentration (natural degrees of 12.5-13) and a small concentrated harvest characterized the 1991 vintage.

Australia Vintage 1991 / A relatively hot and dry growing season with warmer temperatures in January led to an early and dry vintage with slightly lower yields but very rich and exceptional red wines, particularly in the Eden Valley.

In 1991 there were 5,747 hectares of vines in the Barossa and 46,911 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed during that vintage.

Australia – and the Barossa – was now firmly focused on exports with a boom in demand from the UK. Orlando’s Jacob’s Creek has become the best-selling wine in the UK.

In Barossa wineries and vineyards, this has improved cash flow, heralding a period of modernization and development. Winemakers turned to methods of objectively measuring grape quality and flavor and experimented with American and French barrel fermentation and cask maturation.

The cellar door at Chateau Leonay was closed and winemakers, including John Vickery, were made redundant or transferred to Penfolds, Nuriootpa.
Wine growers learned about sustainable vineyard management through irrigation monitoring and forest cover management.

An Agricultural Practice Certificate course has been established at TAFE to train vineyard workers and future vineyard owners.
The Orlando Wyndham Group was formed.

New South Wales-based Miranda Wines has purchased the Liebich family's Rovalley Vineyard at Rowland Flat.

The Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation was created by a federal Act of Parliament, replacing the Grape and Wine Research Council. Its mission was to identify R&D needs and provide funding to improve Australia's international competitiveness as an innovative wine nation.

Winemaker of the Year – Ken Semmler

Vintage Port: The first declared vintage in six years, the longest gap between declarations in decades, was a widely declared excellent year and produced some very promising colorful and aromatic wines. The best ones will age for decades.

 Following the Iraq invasion Kuwait A United Nations Coalition Force including USA, Arab and European countries Bombs Iraq Forces in Kuwait and force Iraq Forces out of Kuwait and back to Iraq. After many years of Apartheid in South Africa a new constitution for multicultural society is formed. This is also the beginning of the Balkan Wars and Lech Walesa is elected as President of Poland. This is also the year that Freddie Mercury the lead singer of the band Queen dies on 24th November from the AIDS Virus. Some of the notable technology advances include Airbag, A Blue Rose (through the use of Genetic Engineering) and Tim Berners-Lee introduces the web browser.