ALL CLEAR: Kristy Bartrop and James Codemo from the Wine Grapes Marketing Board are impressed by the healthy new growth on these once-flooded Yenda vines.
FOR Michel Nehme, the tiny green grape bunches emerging from his 30-year-old vines are a sight for sore eyes.
Since hundreds of hectares of vineyards were submerged when Griffith's outlying towns flooded in March, growers have faced an anxious wait to determine whether the vines had been affected.
But in an unexpected show of resilience, many have flourished into leaf this spring and are on track to flower as soon as next week.
Mr Nehme's Yenda vineyard was submerged for an agonising 26 days after floodwaters swept through the town, leaving the grower in serious doubt over the future of his farm.
But this week, Wine Grapes Marketing Board (WGMB) representatives visited his property and gave his semillon the all clear.
WGMB industry development officer Kristy Bartrop has visited a number of vineyards in Hanwood and Yenda to assess the level of damage but has so far found it to be relatively low.
"We're looking at the level of dieback, disease and irregular shoots," Mrs Bartrop said.
"It has been a bit of a mixture, depending on the farmer and how they responded to the changing conditions, the level of fertilizer used.
"It is varied but the vines have recovered pretty well."
Mrs Bartrop said in some areas, it was evident that floodwaters had leached nutrients from the soil because the vine growth was stunted in patches.
But when it came to Mr Nehme's farm, she said everything looked normal.
"It all looks pretty good, the bunches are fine," she said.
"There's no disease to speak of."