Vineyards across the Grampians region, including Grampians Estate’s Mafeking property, have experienced significant setbacks in their 2025 vintage due to smoke taint following the summer fires. This condition, caused by the exposure of grapevines and grapes to smoke, results in wines developing undesirable smoky, burnt, or ashy flavors.
The severity of smoke taint can be influenced by several factors, including the grapevine growth stage, grape variety, smoke composition, and the duration of smoke exposure.
Grampians Estate owner Tom Guthrie revealed that the Mafeking vineyard, which also supports sheep farming, was directly impacted by a major fire in December 2024. The blaze destroyed approximately 90% of the farm’s grazing area and damaged about 20 kilometers of fencing. Guthrie has since dedicated 42 days to working with the volunteer group BlazeAid to restore the fencing, with about 90% of the work now completed.
While the recovery efforts continued, Guthrie turned his focus to the vineyard’s 2025 vintage. He explained that the Mafeking property, which contributes nearly half of Grampians Estate’s grape production, was rendered unusable for this year’s harvest due to high levels of smoke taint. As a result, the winery will not be able to produce its signature Chardonnay or premium Streeton Reserve Shiraz.
“We obviously didn’t have our own vineyard to pick because they tested positive to pretty high levels of smoke taint,” Guthrie said. “But our Great Western fruit was fine, and we bought a bit from another Great Western vineyard, which we do normally anyway, so we had about 70% of a normal vintage.”
Despite the challenges, the winery managed to secure enough grapes to produce a limited quantity of wine, which aligned with the region-wide reduction in production following the fires.
However, the impact of the fires has extended beyond production, with visitation to wineries in the Grampians region declining significantly. This downturn has been felt at Grampians Estate’s cellar door at Great Western, where fewer tourists have visited, affecting both wine sales and the local economy.
Guthrie shared that other local vineyards, including Fallen Giants Vineyard at Halls Gap, have also faced similar difficulties due to smoke taint, exacerbating the economic strain on the region.
“It’s not been a good run. Of course, that’s on the production side, and then we’re struggling to get visitation back to the region, not just for us, but for accommodation and all the other things that happen in the area,” Guthrie remarked. “It’s been a tough three to four months.”
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