Following a fire event, the impact within the vineyard can present itself in different ways. Some damage is obvious, such as dehydrated leaves and burnt bark, while some are more difficult to identify, such that from radiant heat.
Grapevines are very tough, and most will push new shoots from even seriously burned stumps.
Depending on the extent of the fire damage, vines may be able to be rehabilitated or they may need to be replaced. The resources on this page will help you to assess damage.
Rehabilitation can include training new growth up into a new vine, which in most cases will lead to a full crop in two to three years. If a vineyard needs to be completely replanted, it can take four to five years to achieve a full crop.
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Video and Podcast - Vine recovery from fire damage
Case study – Greg Horner, Mount Bera Vineyards
Webinar: Rapid visual assessment and mapping of fire-damaged vineyards
Webinar: Assessing and managing fire damaged grapevines
Fact sheet: Grapevine recovery after fire
Webinar: Principles for re-establishing fire damaged vineyards
Webinar: What should you consider when purchasing grapevine planting material?
Video and Podcast - Vine recovery from fire damage
In 2019, bushfires (wildfires) impacted numerous vineyards the Adelaide Hills wine region in Australia. One of the biggest frustrations for growers was not knowing exactly what action to take – and when.
Colin Hinze from Pinion Advisory and Richard Hamilton from Hamilton Viticulture established trial work – funded through the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) and Wine Australia – to provide advice on management of vines which have been directly damaged by fire.
This video discusses their findings and provides evidence-based advice for growers on the recovery of vines from fire and the best ways to return a vineyard to productivity.
As an accompaniment to the video above, Colin Hinze and Richard Hamilton discuss how to manage a vineyard that has been directly damaged by fire, and the best way to return vines to productivity in this podcast.
Download the research posters Recommendations for best practice management of fire damaged vineyards and Re-establishing fire damaged vineyards – Considerations of future opportunity and indicative costs.
Case study – Greg Horner, Mount Bera Vineyards
Our case study on fire recovery discusses the actions that Greg Horner of Mount Bera Vineyards took following the Sampson Flat bushfire in 2015. Please note that this is one way to approach the vineyard rehabilitation process. Read a summary of the podcast with Greg here.
‘There is always hope and, even if you can’t get to things quickly, it’s not going to make that much difference’
Greg Horner
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| Podcast | click image to listen on SoundCloud | Video | click image to watch on YouTube |
Webinar: Rapid visual assessment and mapping of fire-damaged vineyards
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) held a webinar in April 2020 with Colin Hinze (Pinion Advisory) that discussed preliminary findings from vineyard trials assessing the extent and distribution of vine damage and regrowth following fire. This webinar discusses the method of assessment, tools used to collect the data, and the pros and cons of the process.
Webinar: Assessing and managing fire damaged grapevines
The AWRI held a webinar in January 2020, that outlined the immediate responses to be taken to maximise vine recovery after a vineyard fire event. A PDF case study is also available on the AWRI website here.
Fact sheet: Grapevine recovery after fire
Fire may damage grapevines to different degrees depending on the intensity and time of exposure to fire or radiant heat. It is important to understand the impacts of the damage on the long-term viability of vines in order to make decisions about how they should be managed after fire exposure.
This fact sheet by the AWRI considers some of the methods for assessment and key points for vine recovery and vineyard redevelopment following fire.
The factsheet is available here, under the section 'Fire damage to vineyards'.
Webinar: Principles for re-establishing fire damaged vineyards
Dr Richard Hamilton (Hamilton Viticulture) presented a two-part webinar with the AWRI that discussed the decisions around rehabilitation or replanting of fire damaged vines, and the planning management requirements for the coming season needs careful consideration in order to optimise growth.
Webinar: What should you consider when purchasing grapevine planting material?
The AWRI hosted a webinar with Nick Dry (Foundation Viticulture) that outlined the key considerations to help ensure access the best planting material possible. It covers timelines for supply; current availability of varieties, clones and rootstocks; and the questions to ask the nursery, particularly in reference to grapevine virus and grapevine trunk disease.
Webinar: Bud dissection as a tool to evaluate the impacts of fire on grapevines and inform pruning decisions
Associate Professor Cassandra Collins (University of Adelaide) presented the below AWRI webinar that described how bud dissection can be used to assess the impacts of fire damage on grapevine fertility.
Other topics in this section
Click on the image below to be taken to these topics in our fire assessment and recovery section.
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| Prepare for the fire season | Assess and manage smoke impact |