Tasmanian wine producers have welcomed the trifecta of excellent quality, record winegrape values and an overdue return to strong yields in vintage 2024.
The growers managed variable and unsettled seasonal conditions to harvest the equivalent of about 14.5 million bottles of wine from 16,805 tonnes – up 36 percent on the previous vintage.
Reflecting the island’s focus on value over volume, Tasmanian winegrapes harvested in 2024 set new records, averaging $3,674 per tonne across all varieties and styles (compared with $613 per tonne nationally), with the value of Tasmanian sparkling wine grapes up to $3,797 per tonne.
Paul Smart, Viticulture & Winemaking Officer at Wine Tasmania said, “Based on winegrapes harvested across the country’s 65 wine regions, Tasmania is the 13th largest by volume but the fifth most valuable, up from 10th most valuable in 2023,” he says.
“After four low-yielding seasons in Tasmania, a return to solid volumes has been very welcome alongside excellent quality and will help Tasmania satisfy the ever-increasing global demand for its wines.”
Seasonal conditions varied across the breadth and diversity of the island, requiring the usual vigilance and dedication of viticulturists.
The north of the island received above average temperatures, while parts of the island’s south experienced cooler than average temperatures.
It was also very dry in the south east and drier than normal across the rest of Tasmania.
The seasonal conditions supported good yields and resulted in an earlier and condensed vintage in 2024.
The numbers
• 1,214,000 cases (dozen) of 2024 wine produced / 16,805 tonnes of winegrapes processed (up 36 percent).
•$3,674 per tonne average value of all winegrapes (up nine percent). Still winegrapes $3,589 per tonne (up eight percent); sparkling winegrapes $3,797 per tonne (up 11 percent).
• 38 percent of all 2024 wine is sparkling wine.
• Based on winegrapes harvested across the country’s 65 wine regions, Tasmania is fifth by value (up five places) and 13th by volume (up two places).
Throughout the season, 46 percent of Tasmania’s vineyard area was managed under Tasmania’s Vinø (vin zero) program, a best practice viticulture and winemaking framework led by Wine Tasmania.
Photograph: Harvest at Stefano Lubiana Wines (Mark Smith and Wine Tasmania).
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