Recent wet weather has caused problems for grape growers who are now racing the clock to complete their harvest.
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Bruno Brombal, chairman of the Riverina Wine Grape Marketing Board, said the rain and hail had a “big impact” on growers.
“If we had another week of rain we could have been in big strife,” Mr Brombal said.
“There could have been major losses in the region, not as bad as the Hunter Valley but close.”
When grapes are almost ready for harvest, they become particularly sensitive to wet weather which can not only physically damage the fruit but also cause rot.
Mr Bromble was relieved Monday morning was quite cool.
“If we’d had the rain and then a week of hot weather, disease would have spread through the crops,” he said. “We need 10 days of dry to make sure we get all the grapes in.”
Mr Bromble said some wineries were pushing to get grapes harvested in the run throughout the weekend and were crushing around the clock.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for the wine industry as the weaker Australian dollar had started to drive exports up.
The Wine Australia Export Report showed the value of wine exports grew in 15 key markets to $2.1 billion in 2015 – up from $1.82 billion the previous year. Volume went up at a slower rate, up 6.4 per cent to 744 million litres exported for the year compared to a 1.9 per cent rise in 2014.
“It’s certainly helped wineries sell more and export more,” Mr Bromble said.
“It’s been good to see a modest increase from our local wineries but that will likely flow-on over the next 12 to 18 months. I’d expect prices for our grapes will be better again next year.”
Tony Battaglene from the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia said the increase was a “shot in the arm” for the industry.
“With the right industry settings at home and an increase in investment for international marketing, the Australian wine industry has the opportunity to leverage off this growth,” Mr Battaglene said.