South Australia’s wine tonnages much better than expected at 768,863 tonnes

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South Australia’s final vintage figures have crushed predictions and turned out better than expected, despite widely-reported seasonal challenges with heat and lack of rain.

During vintage, there were predictions statewide tonnages could be down by anywhere from 10 per cent to 40 per cent due to production issues.

But Wine Australia’s annual winegrape crush survey puts South Australia’s total crush at 768,863 tonnes, an increase of 3 per cent on 2018 and 5 per cent above the 10-year average.

By far the biggest contributor to this surprising result was the Riverland, producing a massive 474,090 tonnes, which accounts for more than a quarter of the national crush.

It was the Riverland’s largest crush since 2005, with tonnages up 6 per cent on the previous year.

The other star performer for tonnage increases was the Limestone Coast.

Production out of Wrattonbully jumped a whopping 87 per cent on 2018, while Padthaway also had stellar gains of 75 per cent.

Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council chairman Pete Bissell said the figures were not surprising.

“It reflects the fact that in 2018 we had a lot of frost damage down here, so tonnages jumped up a fair bit this year,” he said.

Mr Bissell said the 119,303 tonnes produced in the Limestone Coast region this past season was more of a return to a normal vintage.

“The availability of water down here helped us get through what was an extraordinarily long, dry season,” he said.

Mr Bissell said one of the most pleasing aspects to the vintage was that higher tonnages were coupled with top quality, with the region’s cooler nights leading to an extended ripening period, aiding flavour and tannins.

The total estimated value of South Australia’s vintage was more than $630 million, an increase of 7 per cent on 2018. This reflected both the larger crush and an increase in the average purchase value per tonne, which was up an average of 5 per cent to $746 per tonne.

Nationally, the average winegrape price was the highest in 11 years at $664 per tonne.

Across Australia, the 2019 vintage produced an estimated 1.73 million tonnes, just one per cent below the 10-year average.

Wine Australia chief executive Andreas Clark said the good-sized crop would ensure Australia could supply its export and domestic markets comfortably.

“It further reinforces Australian winegrowers’ ability to deliver consistent winegrape harvests and mitigate the effects of difficult weather conditions such as those widely reported during the 2019 season,” he said.