Did the Barossa experience an early vintage this year? 

We definitely had an earlier vintage, with a lighter crop and smaller yields. The drier conditions brought vintage forward about two-and-a-bit weeks earlier for most people. 

Those growers with water produced fairly good yields, and I think the quality was exceptional across the board. Generally I call it a winemakers’ year, because the yields are a little bit lower, but the concentration of the fruit is higher up as well. 

I think there will be some really good parcels of wine, especially for winemakers that had a bit of patience. 

What was the decrease in tonnage like for this season? 

Tonnage is definitely down. I was about 35 per cent down on average, and I know a lot of growers were down further than that. The dryness of the season impacted on the yields just as equally as some of the frost events as well. 

How did dry conditions over the summer impact on vines? 

There was smaller-than-normal canopy. The vines are surprisingly resilient though, and I was quite surprised how well they were hanging onto leaves. There was small bunches and berries though, and extraction rate for wineries was lower too. You saw a little bit more tannin, and a bit more of the fruit flavours come through as well. 

Will this be a good year for the classic Barossa full-bodied shiraz? 

For me it’s going to be very-much classic Barossa shiraz being made this year. For the growers that left their fruit on the vines a little longer, you can see the benefit of that coming through. 

Exports to China seem to be recovering well? 

The initial pipeline has been filled, and we’re now seeing a little bit more strengthening in that market. The Chinese market has changed quite a bit. It was always going to be good to get back in, but for us it’s about building on that market, and re-forging those relationships that were there previously. 

The initial hit was good, now it’s a matter of them selling wines off the shelves, and for Australian producers not to get too over-anxious in the Chinese market, to make sure we’re looking at all markets. 

What impacts are low rainfall figures having on wine grape growers? 

At the moment it’s just a reduction in yield, in the fact the vines are working hard. If we don’t end up with a good season this year, I know a few growers tapping into bores again, and looking at the vineyards, and how much water is available for the coming season. 

If we don’t have a half-decent winter, I’ll have to work out what blocks we have to manage for the coming season, and what blocks we might have to leave go a bit. 

What factors are most important for vine health heading into dormancy? 

For me it’s basically nutrition. We finished vintage… but giving the vines a bit of water post-harvest, to make sure they are shutting down with reasonable nutrient levels, makes sure they have plenty of get-up-and-go for spring.