Industry body Vinpro says South African wine grape producers expect a good, albeit smaller, crop in 2023, following a dry but healthy season.
In what is the first of four crop estimates issued by viticulturists and producer cellars, Vinpro manager Conrad Schutte says that, at this very early stage, the net decrease in the estimate is mainly attributed to all growing regions experiencing a drier season compared with last season.
The wine grape growing regions in the Northern Cape have had their own set of difficult environmental conditions during and after the harvest, Schutte adds, citing unseasonably wet and rainy conditions, which led to poor foliage budding and fewer bunches forming.
In the rest of the regions, flowering conditions were good to outstanding, with few diseases and pests occurring. This was despite lower-than-average rainfall in most regions, which will nonetheless have an impact on berry sizes and thereby influence total grape production.
In the intensive irrigation areas such as the Klein Karoo and Robertson, Vinpro explains that loadshedding has presented huge challenges owing to irrigation schedules having to change according to when there is power available.
Schutte says the season looks promising but warns that a lot could change leading up to the harvest.
The next crop estimate will be released in the third week of January .