The 2025 vintage presented significant challenges across many of South Australia’s renowned wine regions. Despite the tough growing season, Two Sisters Wine Company has emerged with a promising collection of wines that reflect the resilience of our vineyards and the meticulous attention of our vineyard and winemaking teams.
The 2025 vintage will be remembered as an early, low-yielding year marked by extreme conditions, but one that still holds the potential for producing concentrated, elegant, and expressive wines.
Vintage Conditions and Challenges
The season began with an unexpected and severe frost early in spring—affecting even vineyards that have not experienced frost in over half a century. The Barossa and Eden Valley regions were both impacted, including sections of our own vineyards.
Our eight-acre river flat vineyard saw mixed results. The lower four acres closest to the river, recently pruned, were hit hardest by frost and subsequently yielded minimal usable fruit. Fortunately, the adjacent four acres, pruned earlier in the season, were only lightly frosted and fared considerably better.
Compounding the frost damage, the 12-month period from March 1st, 2024, to February 28th, 2025, was the driest on record in 123 years. A prolonged heat spell accelerated ripening and intensified the stress on the vines. Despite these challenges, our access to onsite water was instrumental in maintaining vine health and supporting consistent ripening and flavour development.
Additionally, due to drought-induced food scarcity, local wildlife posed a higher threat to the crop this year. To protect the fruit, extensive netting was used across our top vineyard blocks.
Vineyard Performance
While yields were down, there are standout parcels that we are particularly excited about. The Shiraz from our elevated back block, which sits above the frost line, looks exceptional at this early stage of fermentation—showing great colour, concentration, and balance.
Our old bush vines and Eden Valley Riesling were harvested slightly later than the Shiraz, allowing for full flavour development and optimal ripeness. These vines, having been reworked three years ago, are now showing improved uniformity and ripening, which bodes well for future vintages as well.
Wine Style Expectations
We expect the wines from this vintage to show richness and intensity, with vibrant colours and depth. Alcohol levels are sitting at a modest level in the low 14s, offering a harmonious balance between power and elegance. While the yields were low, this has resulted in wines with appealing concentration and a strong varietal character—wines that are both age-worthy and highly drinkable.
Conclusion
Although the 2025 vintage posed several viticultural hurdles, the resilience of our vines, combined with careful vineyard management and a bit of luck, have allowed us to craft wines of remarkable character and quality. We’re confident that this vintage will deliver wines that are not only expressive of their terroir but also incredibly enjoyable to drink—true to the spirit of Two Sisters Wine Company.
