Water cuts to affect flow of premium wines
Drought will force a shortage of some of Australia’s premium wines next year following a deep cut in irrigation water into the McLaren Vale region on the outskirts of Adelaide. Despite improving rains in the Murray-Darling catchment, the South Australian Government has cut irrigation of vines using water from Adelaide’s mains network by 38 per cent for the 2009 vintage as part of tough new restrictions to cut consumption. Mains water costs growers $1160 a megalitre, increasing to $1650 later this year—20 times more expensive than conventional irrigation. As a result, it has been reserved for the top 10 per cent of premium grapes from the McLaren Vale region. These grapes can fetch between $2000 and $10,000 a tonne —more than 10 times the price of bulk grapes—and are used by winemakers as part of the complex tapestry of flavours used in blending top wines. The Australian, February 18.
