Wine growers in the region have copped a beating from January’s rain, with Normanby Wines only salvaging seven and a half tonnes of its usual 40-tonne yield. Neighbouring vineyard Paradine Estate has been forced to make its own wine with the tonne of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes it saved when last weekend’s weather wiped out its entire crop. For many local wine growers, small harvests have meant they could not get any grapes to Stanthorpe for pressing because they did not meet the tonnage requirements, reports the Queensland Times.

Some winegrapes in South Australia’s Riverland have started to rot after rain and humid weather in recent days. Wet conditions damaged many grapes last season by helping vineyard diseases to spread. The weather bureau is expecting the rain to continue in the region until the end of the week, reports ABC News.

In the Riverina Highlands of New South Wales wine grapegrowers are feeling particularly nervous about the rain this week. Last year’s wet harvest created major disease problems across the district. Despite more rain forecast, Cathy Gairn president of the Tumbarumba Vignerons Association, is trying to remain upbeat, reports ABC Rural.

It looks like a very promising year for the Langhorne Creek wine region. Langhorne Creek Grape Growers Association Chair, Phil Reilly said “it is without a doubt the best vintage in years.” “Brilliant white grapes are already off the vines and the fruit is excellent,” Mr Reilly said. “The reds will have a strong phenomenal colour this vintage… there will definitely be quality wines from the Langhorne Creek region this year.” This year’s vintage begun early due to the hot weather in February, reports the Victor Harbor Times.

Riesling … an international wine of mystery and intrigue, loved by wine buffs, misunderstood by most and loathed by those still scarred by a previous bad experience. Leading the charge toward a Riesling revival worldwide is New York-based restauranteur and wine bar entrepreneur, Paul Grieco. The Riesling evangelist was recently on a whistle-stop tour of New Zealand, extolling the virtues of this sadly misunderstood grape, writes John Hawkesby in The New Zealand Herald.

Marlborough is emerging as one of the most exciting regions to watch for New Zealand Pinot Noir, according to a number of the country’s top producers. Steve Smith MW, founder of Craggy Range, believes the international thirst for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has lead to an interest in the region’s fledgling Pinots, reports The Drinks Business. “Not many producers will admit this, but the success of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has opened the door for Marlborough Pinot Noir,” he said.

Australian Vintage, owner of the McGuigan, Tempus Two and Nepenthe brands, increased sales to the UK and Europe by 9 per cent in the half year to December 31 despite a record high Australian dollar. Australian Vintage’s sales were up 4.4 per cent overall to $116.4 million, a result chief financial officer Mike Noack attributed to the company’s strong performance in Europe, reports The Shout.

Derwent Valley grape-harvesting began yesterday with growers relieved to have avoided smoke taint from weekend bushfires. Derwent Valley Wines vineyard manager Andrew Hanigan said picking Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes for sparkling wines at their 10 hectare vineyard had begun, reports The Mercury.

Victorian irrigators are banking on at least two more years of full water allocations. The rapidly filling Murray-Darling storages have coincided with optimistic forecasts for many horticulture prices which have growers talking positively with financiers for the first time in years. Irrigator leaders said confidence had returned to many industries after the sodden end to the drought, reports Weekly Times Now. “The storages are pretty close to chock-a-block, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of people,” Murray Valley Winegrowers chairman Dennis Mills said.

It is a later start to the grapes harvest in Gisborne but birds are attacking the grapes earlier and in increasing numbers, reports The Gisborne Herald. The grape season is running about seven to 10 days later than normal due to a typical cloudy and wet La Nina season with less sunshine hours and heat, says GroCo general manager and viticulturist Warwick Bruce. The perennial problem of birds has seen vineyards transformed into a sea of netting as growers do their best to protect their grape crops.