Low value could force growers out of the industry

THE average prices of major red grape varieties harvested this year in the Murray-Darling and Swan Hill wine regions were the lowest in a decade, falling to under $300/tonne, according to the Murray Valley Winegrowers Inc. Data provided by wineries to Wine Australia for the Murray-Darling and Swan Hill Wine Grape Crush Report revealed average prices for Cabernet Sauvignon of $295/tonne (-10%), Merlot $293/tonne (-5%) and Shiraz $289/tonne (-8%).