Recovery of vineyards after fire – a new case study

The start to 2020 has been a difficult one for individuals, businesses and communities affected by fires across Australia. The impacts for some individuals in the grape and wine sector are severe and our thoughts are with them. 

Wine Australia is working with Australian Grape & Wine, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and viticultural experts, backed by the Federal Government, and state and regional wine agencies to offer support and advice.

Greg Horner of Mount Bera Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills has kindly shared his experiences in vineyard recovery following the Sampson Flat bushfire in 2015. 

On 2 January 2015, the Sampson Flat bushfire roared through Mount Bera Vineyards in South Australia, burning all of the vines to varying degrees.

Greg owns and operates the vineyard and, after the fire, the main recovery advice he received was to completely remove the vines and start again. Greg chose a different path, one that not only saw him harvesting in the first year after the fire, but also resulted in a complete recovery much faster and more cheaply than if he had started from scratch. 

Listen to our podcast here or download the PDF of the case study to hear more about the vineyard recovery approaches that Greg took. 

Please note that this is one way to approach the vineyard rehabilitation process. More information on recovery is available via the AWRI website and in its recent webinar. 

The AWRI helpdesk is also available on (08) 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au for further information.