Vinpro Technical Harvest Report 2025

Grape and wine quality with many producers highlighting Sauvignon Blanc for its outstanding quality this season. The red cultivars also demonstrate excellent colour and intensity, with pronounced and distinct cultivar character. The dry, cool conditions throughout the harvest ensured that the grapes remained healthy, allowing producers to plan the harvest with precision and without weather related interruptions. This season started cooler and slightly later than usual. Dry conditions rewarded those who kept their vineyards clean throughout a challenging spring season. The quality and quantity of the grapes were exceptional, making for an overall outstanding season. The 2025 season will undoubtedly offer some gems when the wines find their way to market. – Stuart Botha, Winemaker, Tokara “ Production trends As with bud burst, the harvest started two weeks later than the previous season. Early cultivars yielded better than in 2024, with Pinotage, in particular, significantly surpassing last year’s low figures. The warm and dry weather, coupled with the absence of heat waves, facilitated active ripening. Mid- and late-ripening cultivars were harvested at their usual time, though some producers faced challenges in bringing in all the grapes on time. While Chenin Blanc was expected to have lower yields due to low fertility, improved bunch weights, due to good fruit set, helped mitigate this. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon all produced robust yields, resulting in an overall slightly larger harvest compared to 2024. Producers are anticipating an exceptional 2025 vintage. Grape analyses for the white cultivars show excellent sugar and acidity levels,

Photo STB 1: Robust vegetative growth in Petit Verdot in the Simonsberg area, Stellenbosch.

vineyards with north-south row orientations, particularly where vines had been suckered and leaves removed just before the heat wave, as well as vineyards nearing véraison.

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