Overall the Mudgee region experienced a high quality 2025 vintage.
Good rainfall in winter of 2024 saw the vines emerge healthy through budburst however a number of vineyards were impacted by a strong frost event in September.
Dry conditions were experienced through Sep / Oct / Nov allowing growth and flowering without much disease pressure. December had high rainfall (40% up on average for the month) but this was followed by quite a dry January (30% below the average) with the result that active vineyard management resulted in clean healthy fruit through veraison. Overall growing season rainfall was pretty much in line with the average, which is below the previous 4 years.
Growing season mean maximum temperatures were 1.0˚C higher than the recent long term average and (0.8°C below 2024), and mean minimum temperatures, were very close to normal with the average diurnal temperature range across the growing season a refreshing 15.5˚C. While the temperature across the growing season was close to average, November & December were about 2°C above average resulting in a slightly early kick off to the harvest, although when compared to last year most wineries begun harvest about a week later than in 2024 and finished picking all their grapes about two weeks later than last year with most of the grapes harvested by about 4th March.
The vintage was not as compact as 2024 but still quicker than average meaning wineries required more staff and longer hours worked per day to effectively process the fruit. Difficulties in juggling harvesters, trucks, grape bins, crushers, presses and fermenter space complicated the vintage. On the bright side we all got to have Easter off.
The overall tonnages for the region were down from previous years due to a combination of the spring frost event and very selective harvesting decisions in response to the national over supply of grapes and wine. The fruit produced was of a high quality in both white and red grapes, with the warm days refreshed by cool nights producing ripe varietal flavours, deep colour and bright acid balance.