Wine industry expects average 2023 following spring downpour

However, Grampians Wine Association president Damien Sheehan said crops had avoided disease, unlike vineyards in New South Wales.

"Yields are down, similar to last year. So two years in a row there have been average yields and I think that's seen right across the industry this year," Mr Sheehan said.

"At this stage we have been able to hang onto our crops. In spring there was isolated hailstorms across the region and that's reduced crops. I think that's been the main thing that has been an issue.

"Having bad weather when the grape vines flower, when they make their fruit at flowering, we had bad weather then and that means you don't set much fruit and that's another reason why the crops are down, rather than disease."

Mr Sheehan said the Grampians region grape growers mainly grew shiraz, which is a red wine grape, and it would not be ready to harvest for another few weeks.

"It's a later season than last year. Last year was a little later than what we have had recently and this year is later again. We will be harvesting all the way through April and possibly May, and the weather is not so good then. It gets trickier the later you go," he said.

Wombat Forest Vineyard owner Dee Lawlor said her grape vines in Denver, Hepburn Shire, would be late to harvest.

"This is a late season across the board, so everything is, generally speaking, about a month later this year because we have had such a wet lead up and not high enough summer temperatures," Ms Lawlor said.

"We just have to wait and see. It's all an unknown this season for everybody.

"Across the board you will probably get reduced cropping because it's just had odd fluctuations and you only pick what does ripen so you just have to wait and see. It's very much a waiting game."

Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.