By Andy Young
The Barossa and Clare valleys in South Australia have received up to 80mm of rain in the last week, putting the 2016 vintage on track for a strong harvest.
Barossa Grape and Wine Association viticultural development officer Nicki Robins said the rain, which ranged from about 30mm to 58mm in her region, had the vines booming.
"Things are looking really good, most people have just finished flowering so things are looking on track. It was certainly lovely to get that good bit of rain, it really helps a lot,” Robins told The Lead, South Australia.
“Because we had such a cold winter the vines went very dormant and then we had a few patches of heat which really made the vines push so the amount of canopy growth is quite good compared to the overall amount of rain we’ve had.”
Robins said while many vineyards were irrigated, good winter and spring rainfall was crucial.
“You just can’t beat it.”
“The vines are looking very healthy especially after the recent rain and there’s no disease pressure at the moment so things are looking really nice.”
Further south, the McLaren Vale and Coonawarra districts have received only about 15-20mm of rain in November but growers were still hopeful of a good season.