The heat wave in Australia has affected production in some of the country’s biggest wine regions and triggered fear among growers that prices could increase.
The heat wave has come at a critical time for many winegrowers because grapes were in the final stages of ripening ahead of the harvest and many growers are facing losses of up to a third of their crops as sustained heat stresses vines and sunburns fruit.
As raging wildfires continue to sweep across southern Australia, several vineyards are on alert and in some areas dozens of firefighters are already battling to keep fires under control. Temperatures in Adelaide were forecast to hit 44˚C with the heat wave expected to last more than a week.
In some areas, grapevines have gone into shutdown mode as they try to protect themselves against the heat. Experts say this protection method is killing crops as the vines are basically cooking their own grapes from the inside.
These damaged vines are expected to lose more than 15 per cent of the season’s crops.
A viticulturist in South Australia’s Riverland says although growers will lose quantity, the quality of grapes should not be affected. He says it is disappointing for growers after facing years of drought and bad weather in recent seasons.
“It’s impossible to get a handle on what the regional affect is going to be. Within this property there are a few patches that are badly affected and others that are okay. Obviously if you’re a grower and you’ve got a lower yield when prices aren’t that flash, anyway that’s not a great thing to explain to your bank manager.”