South Africa's wine harvest in 2021 increased by 8.9 percent compared to the previous year. At 1.46 million tonnes of grapes, the volume is back at the level of before 2018, when the drought had a massive impact on yields for the first time. It is a solid five percent above the 2011-2020 average.
The wine must harvest is estimated at 11.4 million hl, according to South African Waste Information System (SAWIS). Depending on the size of the harvest, 13-20 percent of the must is typically used for brandy, distillation products and grape juice.
In view of the decline in the area under vines over the last decade, average yields are of greater significance for classifying the autumn than comparing absolute figures. Here, 2021 proves to be the highest-yielding vintage of the last ten years.
The reason for the good yields is probably the good water supply before and during the harvest. Due to lower temperatures throughout the growing season, the harvest started about two weeks later than usual. Due to the colder weather, the grapes ripened very slowly, which is why the harvest period was unusually long and in some places lasted until May.
"The colder weather enabled the winemakers to harvest their grapes at just the right time. Winegrowers and winemakers are particularly excited about the good colour extraction, low PH values and high natural acidity," says Conrad Schutte, advisor to the industry association Vinpro.
The full cellars because of the sales ban in South Africa during the COVID lockdown do not seem to have had any effect. Initially, there had been speculation that winemakers would be forced to let grapes hang because cellar capacity was insufficient.
"We are pleased that the 2021 harvest has proved to be something of a silver lining for the South African wine industry, which will undoubtedly further strengthen our international positioning," says Siobhan Thompson, CEO of Wines of South Africa (WoSA).
The large harvest combined with the Corona-related drop in sales in 2020, however, ensures that there is a lot of sales pressure in the cellars in South Africa. cg
