COLD SHOULDER FOR SCANDINAVIAN VINES

WHILE some riesling makers are now planting vineyards in Norway and Sweden to combat the effects of climate change, German winemaker Dr Katharina Prum of the much-lauded house of
J.J. Prum doesn't put much store by it. "These places are by far too cold," she told tasters during her recent visit to Melbourne to show her family's 2007 riesling releases. "I think it (climate change) is not as extreme in Europe. It seems to be much more evident here."

In fact, climate change might be having a most positive impact on winemaking in her homeland. "We are getting ripeness every year," she said. "You notice it when you look at the vintages of the last 20 years and there's not a bad vintage at all."

The 2007 vintage, famed for its extraordinarily long ripening period before picking, is already being hailed as a classic year in the mould of the stunning 2004. But there is a drawback to the continuing cycle of good weather. The company, based in the Mosel, has been unable to produce an ice wine for the past six vintages.