Hail storm wreaks havoc in South Australia

The local industry wine body Riverland Wine is offering support to wine growers in South Australia’s Riverland after a devastating hail storm wreaked havoc throughout the region, “shredding” the vines of many producers.

Some vines were uprooted after the storm in Riverland (photo credit: ABC)

The organisation has posted an updated list of support available on its website for winemakers to seek assistance following the storm on 11 November.

Wineries in the region lost up up to 80% of their crop as many were anticipating a good vintage in Riverland, reports ABC news. The storm left a trail of destruction from Cadell through Barmera, Berri and Monash to Yamba.

“Many of the vines have effectively been stripped, or the word that most growers would use to describe their vines is it looks as though they have been shredded,” Chris Byrne, an official from Riverland Wine, was quoted as saying in the report.

Riverland vines supplied 63% of South Australia’s crush in 2015 and 27% of the nation’s grape crush.

In addition to South Australia, wineries in Victoria’s Sunraysia district and New South Wales were also hit by the storm, and insurance claims have already surpassed $115 million, as reported by The Age.