The industry body Sawis (SA Wine Industry Information & Systems), says an estimate of the South African wine grape harvest in the second week of January predicts an even smaller harvest than previous estimates at the end of November 2017 – possibly the smallest since 2005.
Quoted by TourismUpdate.co.za, Francois Viljoen, Consultation Service Manager for the wine industry organisation Vinpro, says the declining trend predicted in the past two months can mainly be attributed to the warm and dry weather conditions that occurred early December. “Virtually no rain fell during this period and many hot days (above 35°C) were recorded. Together with a persistent south-easterly wind, this increased the water consumption of vineyards.”
Drought conditions have been prevalent in the Western Cape for the third consecutive season, with major dam levels currently at around 27%, compared with 42% in 2017. Most producers depend on irrigation water from the schemes that have been rationed since early in the 2017 growing season. Water quotas have been cut between 50% and 80%.
“The available water is simply not enough to meet the needs of the vineyards at this stage,” says Viljoen. “Vineyards are now beginning to show symptoms of water shortage and declining berry growth. Smaller berries mean a lighter harvest with lower juice levels, which contribute to lower volumes.” The lack of rain, shrinking water supplies and continual hot days can further lead to a smaller 2018 crop.
“This challenging season does have a negative impact on producers’ income potential, but lower stock levels and smaller international crop yields now also provide the opportunity to give momentum to a structural income adjustment,” says Managing Director of Vinpro, Rico Basson. “Businesses now have to focus on the appropriate packaging of what they have to offer when discussing price points. Opportunities created by the drought crisis must be fully exploited to benefit the producer in the long term.”
The Olifants River region has been worst affected by the drought and producers in this region were allocated less than 17% of their usual water quota from the Clanwilliam dam (now only 20% full) in the course of the season. The Orange River region is currently the only wine region not experiencing water shortages.
“This is a difficult time for agriculture, with the sector being hit hard by persistent drought,” says Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde. “To date, the Department of Agriculture has invested R67 million (€4.5m) in drought relief to support farmers to keep their businesses running.
“In the wine sector, which has not come away unscathed, reduced rain has, however, meant an improvement in the quality of our produce, giving us a clear competitive edge in international markets.”
The South African wine industry is the ninth largest producer of wine in the world and contributes 4% to global production. South Africa exports 440 million litres of wine annually and sells 400 million litres locally.
