The Coonawarra wine region is in full swing harvesting the 2022 vintage.

Hollick Estates assistant winemaker Lachlan Tenace said vintage was going well so far, however it had been a rather “strange” season.

“We have had a bit of weird weather, I think it has been the driest November and December on record in the Coonawarra,” he said.

“It has been quite muggy and quite humid as well for the past couple of weeks.

“All that humidity and all that rainfall is like a recipe for disease of the grape vine.”

Mr Tenace said some sunny weather, cool nights and dry days would be preferable to clear up the humidity.

After a bumper vintage last year, Mr Tenace said their estimates suggested an average year and he hoped this would be another good year for vintage in the Coonawarra.

“It (2021 vintage) was amazing, I was talking to the other winemaker at Hollick, he reckons it was some of the best colour he’s seen in Coonawarra cabernet,” Mr Tenace said.

“Just when I’m looking through it, they have all looked pretty good, good colour, really good structure, it just seemed like a good year for everyone down here.”

Mr Tenace said there was good flavour this year, which he believed could possibly be due to the weather or a carry-over from the buds which developed during the vintage season last year.

“What we are noticing this year is flavour is coming along a lot earlier than the other two,” he said.

“This year’s crop was established last year, so the little buds that grow into the shoots, that was all developing last year for this year.

“Some of the stuff we have picked already has come off pretty heavy, so more than what we were expecting.”