De Bortoli Wines have chosen to rip out a significant number of vineyards in response to a global glut in red wine and falling consumption, particularly among younger people.
Managing Director Darren De Bortoli has described the situation facing many Australian winemakers as a disaster.
Majority of the vines being removed are at Bilbul in the Central Riverina and at Rutherglen.
Chris Pfeiffer from Pfeiffer Wines in Wahgunyah said smaller winemakers in the Rutherglen wine region were less impacted than larger producers like De Bortolis, which was more exposed to a problem impacting winemakers across the globe.
He said in particular, there was an oversupply of Shiraz grapes.
“People are pulling red grapes out to get more sustainability into the industry,” Mr Pfeiffer said.
“Too much red wine is an international problem; France is pulling out more red wine grapes than Australia.”
Read more about the impact on the local wine industry in next week’s Free Press.