Australia’s 2012 vintage is expected to be 4% higher than last year, with unanimous reports of above average quality across most regions and varieties. Expectations are that it will be recognised as a standout vintage.

The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia’s annual Vintage Survey estimates the total national crush at 1.66 million tonnes, compared with 1.60 million in 2011 (see table below). This is close to the latest five-year average of 1.63 million, but well below the peak of 1.93 million in 2005 (see table below).

The warm inland regions are estimated to have accounted for nearly one million tonnes - an increase of 70,000 tonnes (7%) over last year.

Production of red and white wines was just about equal in 2012, and Chardonnay and Shiraz continued the trend of trading the crown for highest individual variety by volume. Shiraz took it back again, but not by much. Pinot Gris/Grigio continued its rapid growth - up by around 40%.

The higher crush comes despite many individual regions reporting lower yields. The explanation appears to be that high yield propensity in 2011 primed vines for a level of fruitfulness lower than in 2011, but closer to average.

There was no significant change in bearing area during the year and anecdotal evidence suggests unharvested fruit and production caps were not a factor in determining vintage size.

There was some yield loss at fruit set and localised losses due to rain events occurred in some regions in the eastern states. However, seasonal conditions were generally favourable and ripening conditions were ideal, which was greeted with unbridled delight in many regions.

Consensus is that the quality of the wine produced in 2012 will be high, irrespective of yield size or weather impact. Regional reports collated by Wine Australia include such phrases as “truly special”, “excellent to exceptional”, “one of the strongest on record” and “one of the region’s finest”.

Source: Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, Vintage Report, July 2012

Australian winegrape intake, 2012
Variety	2011	2012	2012 % share	2011-12 % change
Red Grapes
Barbera	296	388	0	31
Cabernet Franc	1,406	1,316	0	-6
Cabernet Sauvignon	231,321	220,954	26	-4
Dolcetto	1,119	1,534	0	37
Durif	3,796	3,567	0	-6
Grenache	16,449	14,930	2	-9
Malbec	1,980	2,498	0	26
Mataro	5,632	5,041	1	-10
Merlot	110,225	127,201	15	15
Muscat a Petit Grains	1,486	1,289	0	-13
Petit Verdot	17,389	19,632	2	13
Pinot Noir	35,081	32,847	4	-6
Ruby Cabernet	11,864	10,538	1	-11
Sangiovese	4,208	3,703	0	-12
Shiraz	326,279	379,925	45	16
Tarrango	666	598	0	-10
Tempranillo	3,204	2,818	0	-12
Other red	7,152	6,729	1	-6
Total Red Grapes	779,554	835,510		7
White Grapes
Chardonnay	398,410	374,249	45	-6
Chenin Blanc	6,606	7,017	1	6
Colombard	56,745	60,924	7	7
Crouchen	1,830	1,834	0	0
Doradillo	493	1,058	0	115
Marsanne	1,332	1,501	0	13
Muscadelle	439	440	0	0
Muscat a Petit Grains Blanc	8,796	8,830	1	0
Muscat Gordo Blanco	47,560	62,148	8	31
Palomino & Pedro Ximenes	178	194	0	9
Pinot Gris & Pinot Grigio	41,039	57,078	7	39
Riesling	31,212	30,349	4	-3
Sauvignon Blanc	86,694	86,711	11	0
Semillon	81,913	80,224	10	-2
Traminer	11,248	9,717	1	-14
Trebbiano	419	425	0	1
Verdelho	13,660	10,381	1	-24
Viognier	10,931	8,710	1	-20
Other white	23,336	22,829	3	-2
Total White Grapes	822,840	824,618	100	0
Total All Varieties	1,602,394	1,660,127		4

Source: ABS (2010), WFA (2012)

Winegrape crush by year

Year	Tonnes	% change
1983	440,392
1984	518,929	17.8%
1985	598,389	15.3%
1986	520,320	-13.0%
1987	511,501	-1.7%
1988	485,360	-5.1%
1989	625,326	28.8%
1990	602,591	-3.6%
1991	538,961	-10.6%
1992	635,506	17.9%
1993	626,187	-1.5%
1994	777,373	24.1%
1995	629,833	-19.0%
1996	883,318	40.2%
1997	797,992	-9.7%
1998	975,669	22.3%
1999	1,125,840	15.4%
2000	1,145,238	1.7%
2001	1,423,950	24.3%
2002	1,605,846	12.8%
2003	1,398,528	-12.9%
2004	1,917,238	37.1%
2005*	1,925,490	0.4%
2006	1,901,560	-1.2%
2007	1,397,350	-26.5%
2008	1,831,523	31.1%
2009	1,732,506	-5.4%
2010	1,603,012	-7.5%
2011	1,602,394	0.0%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1329.0. Note: ABS final figures will differ from crush estimates presented by the Winemakers' Federation of Australia. * Record year.