No sour grapes as winemakers take glass-half-full approach amid crisis meetings and dire vintage outlook

Winemakers in Australia's largest wine region are finding ways to turn oversupply of red wine into an opportunity to sustain their business amid dire prospects for the 2023 vintage.< /p>Key points:Hard pruning, rejuvenation of vines and crop diversification are some of the options being exploredProducer cooperative launches new wine label to create alternative income stream for membersAccolade Wines says it needs to adapt winemakers

Crisis meetings were held across the region after multinational Accolade Wines announced it would compensate winemakers for mothballing their red vines or switching to white grape varieties.< /p>

Third-generation Barmera producer Brian Caddy says cutting his Cabernet Sauvignon crop by 30% gave him a chance to rejuvenate his old vines.

"For me, they've served their purpose - they're getting very difficult to harvest by machine, so I'm going to re-treile them," he said. .

Mr. Caddy has had the canopy of his vines cut and the trunks halved, which will stimulate long-term growth.

"It will be at least two years before he draws decent crops,” he said.

Winemaker Brian Caddy tried to plan ahead.(ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)

Keep costs down

With prices per ton expected to be low next year, Mr Caddy said it was crucial to reduce c production costs.

"I'm pretty much retired so I'll just pop in and do my irrigation like I've done in the past," he said. he stated.

"We use a minimal amount of water - about half the average for wine grapes at Riverland - and still produce the same tonnage."

Mr. Caddy says his 30-year-old vines needed a facelift. (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)

Mr. Caddy expressed concern about the boom and bust cycle of wine varieties.

"I feel sorry for the growers who planted shiraz, for example, in the last two or three years, as wineries require," he said.

"They must be heartbroken."