South Australia production and prices up in 2012

The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia (PGIBSA) has released its full report of the SA Winegrape Crush Survey for the 2012 harvest, recording a slight increase in production and an upswing in average grape prices.

The total South Australian crush in 2012 was 698,005 tonnes, up 2% (15,334 tonnes) from the 2011 harvest.

The Riverland once again produced the largest crush of 411,529 tonnes, or 59% of the total South Australian vintage, up 7.7% on 2011 figures.

The Barossa Valley was next with 50,899 tonnes (7.4% of the total crush), a figure that was down 18% on 2011. Langhorne Creek leapt up into third place with 48,651 tonnes (7.0% of the total), an increase of 23% over the previous year.

Production was down by 30% in McLaren Vale and by 21% in the Adelaide Hills. The southeast of the state saw growth in production with Wrattonbully up by 35% and Padthaway up 12.6%, although Coonawarra production dropped by 8.4%.

Positively for grape growers, dollar values were on the increase, with the average price per tonne across the state rising 7.2% ($41 per tonne) on last year to $607 per tonne. The total estimated purchase value of the crush was up by $60 million (14.3%) from 2011 to $420 million.

Not all varieties fared as favourably, with the average purchase price of Sauvignon Blanc decreasing by $27 per tonne to $620 per tonne.

Red grapes made up 416,582 tonnes of the crush, alongside 281,423 tonnes of white grapes. Shiraz accounted for 28.9% (201,540 tonnes) of the total crush, with Cabernet Sauvignon second at 17% (118,385 tonnes). Chardonnay was again the most-produced white variety, accounting for 20.3% (152,737 tonnes) of total production – a figure that was down 31.7% from 2011. Sauvignon Blanc production was also down, by 9.8% (2,602 tonnes).

After the challenging 2011 vintage, 2012 has been hailed as “the vintage of the century”, with the overall quality of the harvest described as “excellent”.