Austrlian Harvest likely to be low

Reports coming in from Australia suggest that the next harvest is likely to be significantly depleted due to frost and drought in various grape growing parts, however this is not all bad news - wine production is expected to be 375 million litres lower this year than in an average year - however Australia currently sits on a lake of 900 million litres of excess wine and as such we in the UK will probably not see much difference in the short term. However in Australia small growers already under pressure from low prices may find that this year is one step to far and either leave or be forced from the business. In the long term this may have a beneficial effect on the Australian wine industry as less grapes and less growers may lead to an increased need to vinify well and buy the best grapes - however it could go the other way with the best growers being the ones to suffer. We shall see...