After last season’s massive grape glut, plummeting prices and a run of rotten weather conspiring to drive dozens of local growers out of the industry in recent years, the second largest wine producing region in Australia has been gearing up for a promising year for both growers and wineries.

Riverina Wine Grapes Marketing Board chief Brian Simpson said the fungal disease powdery mildew savaged some producers’ crops, but other thrived from the early season rain.

Mr Simpson said from reports this season’s grape harvest was looking to be lower than last year based on uneven growth.

“”We’ve heard lots of blocks where the crop load was not as high as first thought,” he said.

“It’ll be lighter than last year (overall).”

Mr Simpson said a lot of farmers were unable to cover spray their crops effectively during the wetter than usual conditions throughout winter and spring, which led to a spike in powdery mildew, but said grape quality was getting better every year due to constant refining of practices and processes.

“There have been challenges for the season,” Mr Simpson said.

He said he would like to see a price rise in the market to reflect the change in supply in demand compared to last year, where a massive oversupply drove prices down and smaller players out of the industry altogether.

“This time last year we had several thousand tonnes (of grapes) without a home,” Mr Simpson said.

“There’s been a big turnaround – now there would be only a few hundred tonnes.”

He said wine consumers should not see any price difference at the till, but said he’d like to see farmers get a better slice of the profits.

“Farmers get about 30 cents per bottle (of wine),” Mr Simpson said.

“We’d like to see that number go up to around 50 cents.”

Cottontails Winery owner Gerry McCormick said powdery mildew wiped out his Chardonnay vintage, but his Shiraz was looking good.

“It’s been a mixed season,” Mr McCormick said.

Our Chardonnay was hit by powdery mildew – which we can’t do much about.

“But the Shiraz (vintage) could be the best we’ve had.”

Mr McCormick exports his wines to markets across the globe, with the Wagga businessman in the process of securing a deal to send 2000 cartons to Canada, as well as a well-established relationship with the Chinese market, which accounts for up to a quarter of his production.

Late rain during the weeks leading up to harvest can have a damaging impact on the fruit and promote Botrytis bunch rot, sour rot, powdery mildew and ​downy mildew.