THE 2020s

Managing a vineyard to produce record yields and high quality crops is a bit like herding cats. But if it's possible to sum up Tasmania's 2025 vintage in a single word, it's this: Meow.

Tasmania's winegrowers breathed sighs of relief with the successful completion of the high quality 2024 wine vintage. It was a year in which the weather just couldn't make up its mind. Variable for the most part – especially at the outset – the conditions turned out to be more than favourable.

It's true what they say about Tasmania. If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes. That was especially true about Tasmania's 2023 vintage. It was cool, wet and late, but with mean January temperature maxima well above average in the Tamar Valley (including Relbia) as well as across the Huon Valley and D'Entrecasteaux Channel districts.

No two vintages are ever the same in Tasmania. With half of the State's major wine-growing districts separated from the other half by more than 200km, growing conditions are seldom likely to be anywhere near replicated across the industry. That was certainly the case in vintage 2022.

American writer William A. Foster was bang on when he wrote: 'Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution.' Add in 'favourable weather' and he could have been summarising Tasmania's 2021 vintage.

Veteran Tasmanian viticulturist Fred Peacock is the master of understatement. So when the man from Bream Creek says vintage 2020 was not without its challenges, you'd better believe it. It was a tough one. One that kept every producer on tenterhooks.