Vinpro Technical Harvest Report 2025
Climatic and viticultural trends
speeds, with winds predominantly from the south, bringing in cool air daily (Figure CT 2) . As a result, temperatures in November, December, and particularly January, were much lower than in the previous season. Constantia received good spring rains, and Durbanville also recorded follow-up rains in October and December. Moderate, dry conditions prevailed throughout the harvest season, with almost no daytime temperatures above 33 °C, which ensured optimal ripening conditions. General remarks virtually no sunburn damage was reported. The highest temperatures of the season were recorded in the Durbanville ward, with only one day exceeding 33 °C. Heavy winter rains, followed by rain showers throughout the growing season, supported optimal vine growth, production, and grape ripening. Vine diseases were successfully controlled, with only a few cases of powdery mildew and downy mildew reported near the Peninsula, where rainfall was more frequent (Photo CT 1) . The Cape Town district escaped the extreme daytime temperatures experienced by most other regions on 25 and 26 December, and as a result,
During the 2024 post-harvest period, warmer-than-normal maximum temperatures prevailed in May, and especially in June. Strong winds and
extremely dry conditions, particularly in the Durbanville ward, accelerated leaf fall to early April. The first winter rains arrived at the beginning of June, followed by record rainfall in July and August, with the Constantia ward recording more than 300 mm of precipitation during these months (Figure CT 1) . Higher temperatures in June led to slower accumulation of cold units compared to 2023. The target number of cold units was reached 30 days later than usual in the Durbanville ward and seven days later in the Constantia ward. Cold conditions persisted well into August, which delayed budding by approximately two weeks compared to the previous season. Near-normal temperatures were recorded in September. The vines generally budded evenly and satisfactorily, and conditions during the growing season were excellent. The Constantia ward was spared the extreme wind gusts experienced in the previous season. However, Durbanville recorded higher maximum wind
Monthly rainfall: 2023/24 vs 2024/25 (Constantia)
350
300
250
200
2023 2024 2025
150
Rainfall (mm)
100
50
0
Jan Feb Mar
Apr May Jun Jul
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Figure CT 1: Monthly rainfall figures for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 growing seasons in Constantia (Klein Constantia).
VINPRO TECHNICAL HARVEST REPORT 2025 23
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