Yields down for Tasmanian wine producers in 2022-23 but quality of grapes ‘extremely high’

Tasmanian winemakers have battled cool and wet conditions this harvest season, but they’re chuffed by the fact they’ve harvested high quality produce against the odds.

General Manager of Pooley Wines, Tristan Jones with Minister Jo Palmer and Gregory Brown at the Pooley Wines vineyard in Richmond. Picture: Linda Higginson

Amid a disappointingly cool and wet wine grape season, Tasmanian winemakers are emboldened by the fact that they have harvested high quality produce against the odds.

Wine Tasmania CEO, Sheralee Davies, said harvesting had begun “a little later” in the 2022-23 season, which meant there would be lower volumes of wine from the 2023 vintage.

It will be the fourth consecutive year of lower than average volumes for local producers.

“It’s been a challenging season for many, with some parts of the state experiencing the cooler and wetter weather [more] than others, [for example] the East Coast,” Ms Davies said.

“The good news is that the quality is looking great.

“Our growers are accustomed to managing conditions each year to get the best quality possible.”

Sheralee Davies, CEO of Wine Tasmania. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

The first grapes harvested are for sparkling wine, which Ms Davies said would represent about 40 per cent of all wine produced in 2023.

“We’re hearing positive reports on the quality of pinot noir and chardonnay (for both sparkling and still wines), riesling, pinot gris and other key varieties,” she said.

Ms Davies said the “delayed, slower and longer” harvest period would continue into May, with different wine grape varieties in different vineyard locations ripening for picking.

Pooley Wines general manager, Tristan Jones, said his vineyard’s yield was down about 10-15 per cent compared to last year but that the quality of the fruit was “extremely good”.

“We’ve had the above average rainfall, which has followed on from spring into our main growing season,” he said. “And that extended cooler period has provided some challenges with flowering and fruit set.”

General Manager of Pooley Wines, Tristan Jones in the vines at Pooley Wines in Richmond. Picture: Linda Higginson

“However, from December, after Christmas leading into the new part of the financial year, we’ve led into a drought period. So I suppose the ideal thing is it’s been able to dry up a lot of the water that we’ve had.

“It’s just provided some really good fruit quality.”

Recent modelling has shown that Tasmania’s wine sector, which directly employs more than 3000 people, is worth about $400m, making it the sixth most valuable overall sector in the state and the third most valuable agricultural sector.

The island’s total vineyard area has grown by about 70 per cent over the past five years.

Primary Industries Minister Jo Palmer said it was “wonderful” to see vineyards such as Pooley Wines “now in the thick of harvest”.

“We know Tasmania has what the world wants and that includes our wine grapes and bottled wines which, as always, attracted a premium price because of their exceptional quality,” she said.