The first of four crop estimates for South Africa’s 2023 wine grape harvest are in and producers are cautiously optimistic about the season ahead.
Vinpro released the first crop estimates and Mzansi’s wine grape producers expect a good, but somewhat smaller 2023 wine grape crop following a healthy, yet dry season.
According to Conrad Schutte, manager of Vinpro’s team of viticulturists who issue the crop estimates with the industry body South African Waste Information System (SAWIS), most growing regions experienced a drier season.
“At this very early stage the net decrease in the estimate is mainly attributed to all our growing regions that have experienced a drier season, except for the Northern Cape, which has had its own difficult environmental conditions during and after the harvest,” he said.
Schutte added that poor flowering and set in various areas, together with the uprooting of vineyards, also contributed to the decrease in their estimate for the 2023 harvest.
In the Northern Cape where the season was characterised by unseasonably wet and rainy conditions, vines budded on a minimal reserve status and from the beginning fewer bunches were formed. Foliage also budded poorly and even stopped temporarily in some instances, Vinpro said in a media statement.
Promising season ahead
Meanwhile, in the rest of the regions flowering conditions were good to outstanding. While fewer diseases and pests occurred, the general average rainfall was lower in most regions compared to the previous year.
This is said to have an impact on berry sizes, especially in the dry land regions, thus influencing the total grape production.
In the Klein Karoo and Robertson, which are intensive irrigation areas, load shedding presented huge challenges due to irrigation schedules that had to change according to the availability of power.
Nevertherless, Conrad said, “The season looks promising, but a lot could change leading up to the harvest.”
The next crop estimate by viticulturists and producer cellars will be released in the third week of January 2023.
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