A SURVEY of Coonawarra wineries has revealed the 2020 wine crush was the lowest since 2014, in line with a national drop in yields.
Despite the decline, the 2020 South Australian Winegrape Crush Survey – which received 31 responses from the region’s wineries – reported an increase in price per tonne for Cabernet sauvignon ($1721 to $1863), shiraz ($1458-$1701) and merlot ($960-$1296) grapes.
Coonawarra Vignerons president Peter Balnaves said the price growth was positive for the region, which amassed 26,240 tonnes of grapes according to survey respondants.
Mr Balnaves said wineries experienced a difficult vintage due to weather conditions during the flowering season, with pricing varied across the district’s wineries.
“This is a long-term industry and some of those that purchase grapes wish to keep positive relationships so they have paid well or fairly for its worth,” Mr Balnaves said.
“Overall the national crush is down from 1.7 million tonnes to 1.5 which is a significant drop in yields but that is right across the country.”
He said the drop in yields for 2020 was the rise and fall of the industry, with many vineyards now preparing for a positive flowering season later in the year.
“We are able to dissect buds to work out the fruitfulness and it appears that is above average at the moment so we are expecting an above average number of bunches for the 2021 vintage,” Mr Balnaves said.
“We were lucky enough not to be affected by the bushfires at the beginning of the year and although COVID-19 changed the way we conducted our sales and business and made it difficult for those who rely on cellar door sales, many adapted and moved to a more electronic method.”
In regards to grape sales, Mr Balnaves said many vineyards were not majorly impacted by the pandemic as a bulk of the Coonawarra fruit was pre-sold.
“Demand for grapes is pretty strong and I do think it will increase,” he said.
“I also think we have an advantage here being a cooler climate area and having access to quality water which is critical for the industry.”
