There’s an old saying in the industry: ‘A late Easter equals a late vintage.’ This was not the case in 2025. Easter fell in late April, yet winemakers across the country almost universally reported an early vintage, with many claiming the earliest ever. This was mostly thanks to the warmer than average conditions that were also experienced in most Australian regions, particularly those in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
Challenges were faced by growers in New South Wales, where conditions were a little too wet at times, and swathes of South Australia were devastated by spring frosts. Things were better in Western Australia, where most regions described a ‘textbook’ vintage.
Overall, despite what was for many a hard and fast harvest, and the other challenges that arose, reports overwhelmingly indicate an outstanding 2025 vintage across the board, with high-quality fruit and excellent wines expected from many regions.
Find detailed vintage notes on each of the sub-regions of Tasmania right here, or get to know what happened across different states by inspecting the complete 2025 Australian Vintage Report.
Northern Tasmania
Tasmania wasn’t immune to the warm and dry conditions experienced across most of the mainland. In Northern Tasmania, rain fell in bursts in late November and again at the end of summer, but between December and February the weather was consistently warm and dry. Fears raised by the strong winds that occurred around flowering were thankfully unfounded and, again like much of the rest of the country, harvest came early, with picking beginning for sparkling varieties in late February. Yields are reportedly very good, and quality is very high, with pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling the standouts. ‘Overall, it’s a very exciting vintage,’ said one producer.
East Coast
On the East Coast of Tasmania, although rainfall was significantly down, consistently warm and sunny days led to some of the highest yields experienced in the region in recent years. Drizzle in the lead up to harvest challenged some producers, although the weather had cleared by harvest. Pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris were excellent.
Southern Tasmania
In Southern Tasmania, conditions from winter through to harvest were more erratic and localised than usual, leading to a variation in reported rainfall across the region. Generally, the season was drier than average and temperatures were around average, although warmer around harvest. Yields were moderate to high and the early flowering varieties such as chardonnay performed the best, although fruit quality across the board was excellent.
Discover more regional insights from the 2025 Australian vintage with the Halliday Vintage Chart.
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This is an edited extract from the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion, with reviews by Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Katrina Butler, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale and Toni Paterson MW.
Top image credit: House of Arras.
