South African Wine Harvest Report 2021: Slow and Steady Wins the Race
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South African Wine Harvest 2021 - photo credit: Simoné René Nel at Piekenierskloof Wines
“The late and slow harvest was definitely worth the wait. Wine lovers can really look forward to remarkable wines from the 2021 crop.” - Conrad Schutte, Consultation Service Manager at Vinpro NEW YORK (PRWEB) May 27, 2021 Wine lovers from across the globe can enjoy outstanding wines from a much cooler and later 2021 wine grape season in South Africa. This according to the annual South African Wine Harvest Report 2021.
“It seems as though the vines really took their time to prepare this year’s harvest,” says Conrad Schutte, Consultation Service Manager of the wine industry body Vinpro. “Moderate weather throughout the season, and specifically during harvest time, resulted in grapes ripening slower, while developing exceptional c
The wine industry is currently sitting on between 250 million to 300 million litres of surplus stock and this surplus can largely be ascribed to the impact of the lockdown on domestic sales, says Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer.
The 2021 South African wine harvest has been estimated at 1,461,599 tonnes, 8.9% larger than in 2020. The harvest began two weeks later than normal due.
Healthy grape crop expected to bolster international market position
By Given Majola
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DURBAN - THE LATEST wine grape crop estimates were a silver lining for the South African wine industry and were likely to boost its international position, Wines of South Africa (WoSA) said yesterday.
WoSA chief executive Siobhan Thompson said what stood out was the consistency in quality over recent years.
“This will go a long way to convince those who may still have been on the fence, and it will reinforce our overall standing alongside our international competitors. It is also promising that the volume and value of wine exports from South Africa are higher compared to the year-on-year figures in 2020 and 2019,” said Thompson.
A much cooler and later 2021 wine grape season in South Africa is expected to lead to ‘exceptional wines’, according to wine industry body Vinpro.
Moderate weather throughout the season, and specifically during harvest time, resulted in grapes ripening slower, allowing them to develop colors and flavors.
And in terms of volume, the 2021 wine grape crop is estimated at 1,461,599 tonnes, according to the latest estimate of industry body SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information & Systems) on 19 May 2021. That makes it 8.9% larger than the 2020 harvest.
Balancing 2020 and 2021
The 2021 harvest kicked off around two weeks later than normal due to unusually cool weather conditions throughout the season, which persisted throughout harvest time and resulted in some wine grape producers harvesting their last grapes in May.