Tasmania picks a record 17,180 tonnes of winegrapes

Tasmania harvested a record 17,180 tonnes of winegrapes this year – up from the previous record of 16,280 tonnes last year. This year’s vintage equates to about 1.24 million cases of wine.

“This reflects an unprecedented four consecutive years of strong yields for Tasmania,” Wine Tasmania technical officer Paul Smart says.

“There are widespread reports of excellent quality.”

Tasmania now produces one percent of Australia’s total winegrapes by volume and 4.2 percent of its value.

Vintage began earlier than usual – in February – for super premium sparkling winegrapes, with the majority of harvesting complete by late April.

It was a warmer than average season, with measured heat for most winegrowing areas close to the warmest ever recorded. It was also a generally dry season across the state, reducing disease pressure, with the East Coast experiencing drought conditions.

“It was a varied 2018/19 season around the island, demonstrating that no two seasons are the same in the cool climate of Tasmania,” Paul says.

“Bushfires experienced in the south west directly impacted some grapegrowers in the area, while frosts during budburst and rain during flowering also impacted on yields in some parts of the island.

“The vintage results are a credit to all involved in the hardworking Tasmanian wine community, who do what they do because they know Tasmania can produce some of the best wine in the world.

“Tasmania’s global reputation for outstanding wines is reflected in the value of both our grapes (five times the country’s average) and wine (more than double the country’s average), as well as increasing visitation to the island’s cellar doors (close to 300,000 interstate/international visitors to the twelve months to December 2018).

View Wine Tasmania’s updated infographic on the sector’s performance here.