Vintage 2025

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. 

Yes. Tasmania's cool climate wine producers were able to celebrate what appears to be a welcome combination of exceptional quality, strong market value and record-breaking yields this year.

Just over 23,000 tonnes of wine grapes were processed in vintage 2025. That's around 1.2 percent of the entire Australian wine grape harvest. It was also 37 percent more than Tasmania managed in 2024 and close to double the volume it processed in 2023.

Many say vintage 2025 was a year for keeping bank managers happy. Data recently released by Wine Australia shows that buyers in the domestic market paid an average price of $3,924 for a tonne of Tasmanian wine grapes. The national average was $604 per tonne.

That noted, the financial investments required to fund vineyard establishment and annual operating costs are very significant in Tasmania. A guide to growing wine grapes published way back in 1991 by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry stated that a minimum of $700,000 in equity would need to be invested in a 10ha vineyard and winery during the first five years of development if the venture were to be debt-free within 15 years. 

Meanwhile, the median price for a typical home in the Hobart suburb of Sandy Bay in 1991 was $161,500.

Industry sources suggest vineyard establishment costs alone are now of the order of $70,000-$80,000 per hectare.

The figure of 23,000 tonnes set a new industry record for Tasmania. The previous record – close to 14,500 tonnes – was set back in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic.

With budburst occurring in September 2024 and harvesting continuing well into May 2025 on some sites, Tasmania's 2025 vintage unfolded under generally warm and slightly drier than average growing conditions. Indeed, autumn was very dry this year – particularly in the North West, North East and South East – contributing to a somewhat earlier and much more condensed harvest period than usual.

The absence of late rain is always appreciated by Pinot Noir growers.

The thin-skinned red variety is predisposed to splitting after sudden summer downpours. Split berries lose juice, but more importantly they also suffer a significant reduction in fruit quality.

Adverse weather events were few and far between on the journey to harvest. A small handful of localised frost and hail events were managed in affected vineyards, but there were no widespread catastrophes.

Smoke from distant bushfires and burn-offs also appears to have had no likely impact on fruit quality.

Aromatic white varieties – especially Riesling – faired well through their growing and ripening seasons. Along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, somewhat unfashionable Riesling is likely to be included among the vintage highlights in 2025.

Historically, the late season grape seems to perform very well during record Tasmanian vintages. As young wines, they display restrained floral fragrances, typically tight acid structures, and pristine varietal flavours.

Well-crafted Tasmanian Rieslings from 2018, and even 2008 – both record harvests back in the day – still continue to wow fans of the classic cool climate variety. Almost 10 and 20 years beyond their harvest.

Base wines for traditional method sparkling look promising in 2025. Industry sources state that more than 40 percent of this year's harvest will find its way into sparkling wine production.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay continue to be the State's two most preferred varieties, representing 47 percent and 29 percent of the crush respectively.

Contrary to expectation, the warmest vineyards in Tasmania this year were not on the sunny East Coast, nor in the typically dry and toasty Coal River Valley.

Mean January temperatures well above 18°C were recorded in the West Tamar – between Legana and Kayena – as well as at Relbia, south of Launceston. A very significant reduction in autumn rainfall – coupled with plenty of warm summer weather – also suited growers in the East Tamar.

Keep a look out for some especially attractive reds beyond the orbit of Pinot Noir this vintage. Think Gamay, Syrah and the red Bordeaux family on warmer sites.

The Tamar Valley and the Coal River Valley each contributed close to one-third of this year's record harvest. When combined, vineyard crops from everywhere else in the State beyond those two valleys contributed the remaining one-third.

Last page update: August 2025