Moderate winter rain fall allowed budburst to occur in spring with the soil at field capacity. A mild spring meant rapid and even establishment of canopies. Six weeks of no rain in late spring brought on an early and rapid flowering. Intermittent rainfall from December through the remainder of the growing season created useful vigour but increased the requirement for under vine weeding, canopy thinning and trimming.  With a hot humid summer, our vineyard team worked tirelessly right up to harvest removing leaves and some fruit to ensure maximum ventilation in the canopies and ensure we could harvest ripe and disease free fruit. Harvest commenced mid-march. Diligent hand harvesting was crucial checking that each bunch was suitable for harvest. Growers in the region were very grateful for warm, dry, and windy conditions from March 25 to April 8 2018 that finished off ripening perfectly. 2018 will be remembered as a vigorous, warm, and humid season that was demanding but produced outstanding fruit.