Elsie Lange and Afraa Kori
Winemakers in Melbourne’s north-west are worried sustained rainfall in the region could damage their vintages.
With budburst – or growing season – just around the corner, it’s imperative for viticulturalists to spray their vineyards to protect them from disease.
But Hesket Estate co-owner Elizabeth Hudspeth said because the ground is drenched from all the recent rain, they can’t get the spraying machines in, or prepare the soil with mulching.
“In December, we have the flowering and fruit set. If we can’t get these sprays on, we potentially get powdering mildew on our fruit set which will affect the vintage,” Ms Hudspeth said.
“If it keeps raining like this, we’re worried about it.
“It’s going to be challenging for the region … we have a higher disease pressure because we’re [in a] cool climate, we have a longer hang time.”
The vineyards at Mickleham’s Marnong Estate suffered some flooding recently.
Vineyard manager Carl Duncan said it was a rough time for winemakers and grape-growers.
“It has delayed the season, longer for the soil to warm up, longer for the vine to budburst,” he said.
“In these early times it’s very critical to protect against mildews. So typically it’s a 10 or 14-day window, now that’s been reduced to the rain events. So you know seven days or five days, it’s really preventing our spray window.”
Australian Wine Research Institute senior viticulturist Marcel Essling said the wet weather favours disease.
“The one thing that tends to happen is the vines grow quite vigorously and you get a lot of leaf matter and a dense canopy,” Mr Essling said.
“You tend to get quite vigorous canopies, which don’t dry as quickly, which then again favours the disease… usually fungal diseases.”
