Print PageWine grape yields in the South Australian Riverland and north-west Victoria are about 20 per cent lower than hoped.
Vineyards are harvesting their early white varieties, with some chardonnay crops yielding as little as two tonnes per acre, partly due to dry weather.
Landmark senior agronomist Matt Ward, from Berri in the Riverland, says those grapes might not be worth harvesting.
"I have had a few calls where I've been absolutely floored that they could've got it so wrong," he said.
"Because it does come back to certain practices that the grower has or hasn't done and [they're] probably expecting to pull reasonable tonnes off but doing it on just air alone."
