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Frost hits South Australia wine regions
South Australia has been hit with brutal cold snaps this winter which have impacted on grape growers who have already been hit hard by climate change and weather conditions in recent years.
Some of the country’s most iconic regions, including the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Riverland have been affected by frosts as Australia moves into the spring months.
In the last few days, temperatures have gone as low as -4C in the Barossa Valley and just above freezing in the Riverland.
There were frost warnings across South Australia and New South Wales, including Mount Lofty Ranges, Mid North, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East, and Lower South East districts. Temperatures dropped to -1 degrees in some areas across the weekend.
The cold snap included a record low temperature for the nation’s capital of Canberra, with the airport reporting -6.9 C on Monday morning, which is the coldest recorded temperature for the month of September.
Losses
Grape growers in the Riverland have been reporting losses as high as 20% of crops, with the continuous cold weather and a lack of winter rain. Traditionally, the region has an annual rainfall of around 250 to 300mm but in the last three months it has only had 50mm.
Speaking to ABC News, grape grower Michael Spivahtaris said: “Unfortunately, it hasn’t rained, it is very dry and we’re going to be susceptible to frosts right up until the end of October unless we get some very good rain within the next week or so.”
It comes as South Australia has been paying the price of climate change in recent years, as grape growers have looked to other crops due to diminishing returns in the vineyard.
Costs
Wineries are offering farmers in the area rates as low as AU$120 a tonne (£62), despite the costs of production being more than double this amount.
Riverland grape growers earlier this year lined the streets of the town of Renmark with their agricultural vehicles to express their concerns for the future of the region’s wine industry.
Several meetings have happened since between grape growers, the government and producers, such as Accolade Wines.
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