Promising outlook for 2025 wine grape harvest
The 2025 wine grape crop is expected to be higher than last season’s 1,116 million tons, and on par with the 2023 harvest of 1,183 million tons, the second-smallest crop in the past two decades, according to the first harvest outlook compiled by Vinpro in collaboration with South African Wine Information and Systems (SAWIS).
Dr Etienne Terblanche, head of Vinpro Consultation Services, attributed the improved outlook to moderate weather conditions and minimal disruption from extreme weather events.
“While the national vineyard area continues to shrink, the current conditions and producer resilience suggest a high-quality harvest across key cultivars,” he said.
According to the December edition of the South African Wine Quarterly, released by the Bureau for Economic Research, SAWIS and the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy, the area under red vines has declined steadily from about 45 000ha since 2014 at an average of 1,37% annually.
The decline is expected to continue in the short to medium term, with the area under red vines reaching 38 000ha by 2033.
The area under white vines declined from just over 54 000ha in 2014 by an average of 1,27% per year. The decline is expected to continue over the short to medium term, with the area under production reaching 49 500ha by 2033.
Production conditions over the next two to three months will play a major role to determine the volume and quality of the final 2025 harvest.
Terblance explained that factors impacting grape berry size and quality would play a decisive role in the potential of the harvest: “Producers are optimistic, but continued careful monitoring and adaptation will be key to achieving the full potential of this crop.”
Phillip Retief, CEO of Van Loveren Vineyards, told Farmer’s Weekly that the harvest estimate was in line with what they were observing on the ground.
“It is difficult to understand why we are having three small harvests in a row when we had such good winter seasons. The lower volumes can partially be attributed to the smaller area under production and some farmers trying to push vineyards to an older age because of the cost-price squeeze, but the harvest is also lighter than normal.”
The local market, according to Retief, is buoyant at the bottom end.
“We have seen boxed wine sales overtaking wine in glass sales because of consumer pressure, and the younger generation not having a negative connotation with boxed wine. The problem with this is that box wine sales are only marginally sustainable.”
Paul de Villiers, CEO of Orange River Wine Cellars, said producers in the Orange River Valley were cautiously optimistic about the coming season: “Vines are looking good so far. Hopefully, we will not experience any extreme weather events during the harvest.”
He added that the region needed some rain, especially in areas that were further away from the Orange River.
De Villiers is also positive about the local market, where he says there currently is a shortage of white wine.
Pieter van Aarde, production manager at Klawer Cellars, said the Olifants River region suffered damage due to flooding during the past two seasons, with this year’s harvest looking promising in terms of quality. Volume-wise, the region seems to be heading for an average season.
Van Aarde expects a good demand for South African wine in the coming season, locally and internationally. He said production in Europe had been impacted negatively by dry climatic conditions.
Source: Farmersweekly.co.za
