Early budburst leads to earliest ever harvest for Oakover Vineyard

Oakover Vineyard, in the heart of the Swan Valley, started their earliest ever harvest of Verdelho and Semillon on Friday 3rd January.

Vineyard manager Matthew Trent says that “an unusually warm and dry winter in 2019 brought about an early budburst in our Swan Valley vineyards”.

“This led to some of the earliest flowering we have ever seen, with some blocks starting in late September. Whilst this harvest is our earliest, the length of time between the early flowering and harvest remains on par with a standard season,” he continued.

Trent points out that the unseasonably hot days in November actually slowed the ripening process down.

Oakover Vineyards also utilise sprawl style canopy management which provides great protection from the heat experienced so far and the berries are in pristine condition.

“We are excited at the quality of fruit harvested because it suggests a strong vintage for us, which we expect to peak with reds coming on stream in February,” added Dan Charter, Oakover’s winemaker.

Photo: Matthew Trent, vineyard manager, with newly harvested Semillon vines