Vintage is underway in the Central SA regions after what is widely considered one of the toughest growing seasons in the last 30 years. Sparkling & rose blocks, together with white varietals mostly picked. Due to recent rain, growers are still not out of the woods – The main concern is now for late-hanging red varieties such as grenache.
With cooler conditions through the early part of growing season, we are looking at a return to ‘traditional’ picking times – some Cabernet blocks may hang into May depending on crop load. The vast majority of growers will be aiming to be finished by mid-late April.
In good news, growers who utilise Nutrien Strathalbyn for monitoring and supply are reporting good quality despite disease pressure through the season. Yields are lower than average from what has generally been observed in previous seasons.
Grapevine Moth have been sighted and treated through grower blocks, and it is advised to be vigilant for these pests as they can be very destructive in a short space of time.
The outlook for next growing season appears to be a swing back to hotter and drier conditions. Although disease pressure is likely to decrease as a whole it is advised to be vigilant of increased disease spore load throughout the Central SA growing regions with high incidence of both Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew noted. The Adelaide Hills region has also noted latent Botrytis and primary infections in recent weeks. If you require assistance with formulating a spray program to stay in front of disease, please feel free to contact your local Nutrien Ag Solutions store. We also offer monitoring on a weekly or fortnightly basis and can generate a report from these visits if required.