Anticipations among South African wine grape producers indicate a favorable yet slightly diminished wine grape yield for 2023, stemming from a robust yet arid growing season. This projection emerges from the initial of four crop estimates presented by viticulturists and producer cellars.
“In these early stages, the reduction in the estimate primarily arises from drier conditions experienced across our cultivation regions, with the exception of the Northern Cape, which faced its own environmental challenges during and after harvest,” explains Conrad Schutte, overseer of Vinpro’s viticulturist team responsible for collaborating with the industry body SAWIS to provide crop estimates. Schutte further highlights, “Unfavorable flowering and set outcomes across various areas, coupled with vineyard uprooting, have contributed to the downward adjustment in our forecast for the 2023 harvest.”
The Northern Cape confronted atypical wet and rainy conditions throughout the season. Vines budded with minimal reserves, resulting in fewer bunches from the outset. Foliage growth was also hampered, sometimes even halting temporarily.
In remaining regions, flowering conditions ranged from satisfactory to excellent. Instances of diseases and pests remained limited, yet the overall average rainfall in most areas was lower compared to the previous year. This circumstance is likely to impact berry sizes, particularly in dryland regions, consequently influencing overall grape production. Intensively irrigated areas like the Klein Karoo and Robertson encountered additional challenges due to load shedding, necessitating adjustments to irrigation schedules in response to power availability.
“The season holds promise, although variables could still alter the landscape leading up to the harvest,” cautions Conrad.
The subsequent crop estimate from viticulturists and producer cellars is scheduled for release in the third week of January 2023.
