Has the 2022 vintage been completed? Did the harvest go longer than usual this year?
After a cool summer, harvest commenced in early February which in comparison to the recent past is later than usual. On reflection it shows the difference of the El Nino and La Nina weather cycles, or more simply a hotter summer ripening period is early, versus a cooler pattern starting later.
Vintage progressed well. We were spared the incredible rain events that affected inland SA and NSW early in 2022 which meant disease pressure was low. White grapes came off and into the wineries in an orderly fashion and the reds were following until late in March when wineries started to fill up.
Since then, vintage has been at the mercy of space availability at the wineries. This has meant the vintage has been drawn out by a few weeks on what would have been possible without the tankage restrictions.
Were growers confident in the volume/quality of grapes?
With the cool growing season and low rainfall, quality was always looking good.
With good spraying regimes, the growers ensured that excellent-quality grapes were once again supplied to the corresponding wineries.
After last year’s significant crop, we all expected to the volume to be less this year and final numbers indicate that we are slightly down on our five-year averages.
What varieties were most popular among Riverland growers this year?
With global political issues putting the brakes on exports to China and the severe frost in France during 2021, white grapes were in demand for this year. New Zealand’s low vintage in 2021 further heightened the interest in whites and in particular sav blanc, while chardonnay was once again consistent.
Interest in newer varieties like pinot gris is continuing and it will be interesting to watch how this variety grows. For red grapes, shiraz and cab sav continued their dominance in volume, but were affected in pricing given the oversupply position.
Interest is being shown in some older varieties like grenache, and even pinot noir is seeing a resurgence into being made into wine versus a sparkling base.
What is most important for the health of vines at this stage?
With harvest now finished, post-harvest fertiliser and watering regimes have been completed and our growers are looking forward to a quieter period over winter.
Growers looking to replant have sourced planting material and the annual redevelopment programs would now be kicking into gear.
With 100 per cent water allocations announced for the 2022/23 watering year, at least we are all spared the worry of water availability for the next 12 months.
