Home to 57 growers, 26 producers and 36 different grape varieties, Geographe is the most diverse wine region in Western Australia. Just ninety minutes south of Perth and one hour north of globally renowned Margaret River region, Geographe boasts more than twenty boutique wineries surrounded by the incredible Ferguson Valley and Geographe Bay. Geographe is best known for varietals Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
The 2024 vintage proved challenging, but both white and red varietals are looking very promising. Philip Smith from the Geographe Wine Industry Association provides an update.
Weather conditions
The 2023/2024 growing season in the Geographe Wine region was hotter and drier than normal. Winter rainfall in June and July was average, however the second half of August was dry.
September was warmer than usual and rainfall was about 50% of average. October was warm and the heat waves started in November, during which time rainfall was very low. The summer months of December through to February had no useful rain and the wind was high and persistent with temperatures well above average.
In preparation for the season, the Geographe Wine Industry Association (GWIA) held an information meeting to discuss mitigation strategies. Optimising water delivery systems, pre-emptive watering prior to hot spells, minimal leaf plucking or vine trimming particularly on the hot Western sides, were all used effectively to minimise the damage. Still, some (mainly) red varieties still saw sunburn and shrivelling.
The vintage
The season started in record early time and was considerably compressed. Most of the fruit was off by the end of February (usually the end of March) and most wineries finished in four weeks (Usually 8-10). This fast and furious vintage caused some headaches in the wineries, with machinery being used at a record rate and vessels for fermenting and storing being in high demand. One of the blessings of the season was the early and plentiful Marri blossom, which helped keep the birds away from the fruit.
The fruit, despite the challenges, is looking very promising. The whites mostly came off before the hot weather and look to be very good quality. The phenolics will be slightly more developed and acids are variable. The reds, picked in the middle of the heatwave, were challenging in terms of best picking times, but the reports are cautiously optimistic regarding quality. Of note, the yields of juice per tonne were about 10% down, resulting in a higher than usual skin to juice ratio.
All in all, wine makers in the Geographe wine region are breathing a sigh of relief that we made it through such a challenging year and are excited to see how the wines look when they finally get to the table!
From the winemakers
“Despite it being the driest summer that we have experienced here in 20 years, it was bizarrely a positive in that we didn’t have any rain events which would have caused berry splitting/disease. This in many ways is harder to deal with as a winemaker than controlling and managing a mildew/botrytis outbreak” – Cathy Howard, Whicher Ridge
“Flavour development well exceeded expectations from such a hot & fast vintage” – Mark Cumbers, Vineyard 28
“Whites are round and rich, less acidity, but flavoursome. Chardonnay looks really interesting in the barrel, full of character, Sauvignon Blanc showing more tropical notes and Semillon probably most affected by yield losses in the whites. Red varieties generally were able to bounce back from the heatwaves, particularly the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, which retained colour and varietal expression” – Kim Horton, Willow Bridge Estate.
