Margaret River experiencing record-low rainfall, putting fine wines at risk

This article originally appeared in The West Australian on 9 November, 2023

WA’s fine wines are in jeopardy, with Margaret River in the midst of its longest drought since records began.

Research by the Early Warning Network examined monthly rainfall since 1960 and found parts of the South West — including Margaret River — were in a drought that had lasted 14 months and counting.

Margaret River’s usually ideal climate, shielded from extreme heat and cold, means it produces up to a quarter of the nation’s premium wine.

WA’s fine wines are in jeopardy, with Margaret River in the midst of its longest drought since records began.

Research by the Early Warning Network examined monthly rainfall since 1960 and found parts of the South West — including Margaret River — were in a drought that had lasted 14 months and counting.

Margaret River’s usually ideal climate, shielded from extreme heat and cold, means it produces up to a quarter of the nation’s premium wine. But scientists are warning the drying climate could lead to smaller and more irregular crops, and impact the quality of the wine.

EWN found in the wet season — critical for replenishing water supplies — rain totals were in the lowest 5 per cent since observations began.

Lead climate scientist Kathryn Turner said the 14-month drought was the longest on record and the current dry spell is the fourth severe drought since the turn of the millennium.

None were recorded in the four decades prior to 2000.

EWN found rainfall totals for winter in the region had declined over the past few decades and were nearly 80ml down in June and July compared to 30 years ago.

“Margaret River stood out as being one of the only locations that was already experiencing really severe drought (ahead of summer) across Australia,” Ms Turner said.

“It’s also right on the doorstep of a lot of forestry, so that also leads into other problems.”

Although the cold fronts coming off the Indian Ocean provide some protection, the dry conditions pose a fire risk.

Ms Turner said EWN found drought had increased from 11 months per decade in the Margaret River region between the 1960s and the 1990s to 30 months per decade in the past 30 years. 

“That is a fairly significant impact over a larger time scale because you’re looking at 2½ years per decade compared to only one year per decade,” she said.

Ms Turner said the historically low rainfall in the wet season meant winemakers would face impacts on crop production as soil only got drier over summer.

Cullen Wines chief winemaker and managing director Vanya Cullen said their Margaret River vineyards had received lower than average rain this wet season and were expecting a crop two to three weeks earlier because of the drier soils.

“No one knows what to expect because we are all travelling in unchartered waters,” Ms Cullen said.

“The big danger at the moment is with bushfires. If it’s really hot and dry, it’s not just the damage from the fire — if we get smoke taint that means we can’t sell any wine.

“Each year there seems to be more and more fires, and looking at the season, it’s dry already.”

The drought follows a CSIRO and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation study of Margaret River’s caves that confirmed earlier this year that rainfall between the capes was significantly reduced compared to late 20th-century tallies.

The examination of stalagmites confirmed rainfall recharge of the region’s groundwater aquifers had declined to an 800-year low.

Agriculture Minister and Margaret River winery owner Jackie Jarvis said the State was aware the South West had a drying climate, which was why native logging would be stopped from next year.

“That whole South West region has been drying for a long time,” Ms Jarvis said.

Published in the print edition of the 9 November 2023 issue of The West Australian