Since my last update many parts of Australia have experienced severe heatwaves and we have seen some of the most devastating bushfires in Australia’s history. The close-knit nature of the grape and wine industry and its many communities means that we are all touched in some way by these recent bushfires. The Barossa has been fortunate to escape both the fire and the effects of smoke taint.

As we look forward, our fingers are firmly crossed as we approach the business end of the growing season. We have been lucky with some decent rains the last few days, this has helped the vines deal with some of the extreme weather we have experienced.

Below-average yields are a regular discussion topic as the 2020 vintage approaches, with poor fruit-set being the primary contributor to this widespread outlook. Below-average rainfall, pockets of frost, heatwaves have of course also been contributing factors to varying degrees. There were two main heatwave periods (>35oC) of 16-20 December and 23-30 December. There were 4 days of 40+ temperatures from 17-20 December with the most extreme day on Friday 20 December, with a minimum of 28.3 and maximum of 44.7 at Nuriootpa

With veraison now underway in all our Shiraz vineyards - albeit about 10-20 days later than 2019. Typical Barossa timelines from 50% veraison to harvest are 5 to 7 weeks for most table wine reds, about 3 to 4 weeks for Barossa Valley whites such as Chardonnay and Semillon. Ripening is anticipated to be more rapid than normal this vintage due to the lower yields in many cases.

For Hayes Family Wines we will start tomorrow, with the Fromm Semillon being picked for our Brandy Project. The other whites are perhaps 2 weeks away with the reds expected in March. Andrew and I are ready to go but if you have some spare time there is never a better time to be in the Valley than over vintage. Come and see for yourself…