Grape picking for this year's vintage in the southern Tasmania wine region is getting underway, albeit a little later in some vineyards than last season.Pooleys Wines Richmond viticulturalist Matthew Pooley expected picking to start soon after a wetter than average winter and spring last year.

"The vines are powering along and ripening the fruit to a T. We're probably about a week later, maybe 10 to 12 days on last year and very much similar to the 2015 vintage," he said.

Mr Pooley said the wet weather had been welcome.

"We needed a wet winter. It was diabolical last year — we were scratching our heads with where we were going to get water. We were on tight irrigation restrictions," he said.

"This year has been absolutely perfect. We've been able to hold off on irrigation events, to give it to them at the optimum point in time that they needed it, maintaining good, healthy, strong canopies to ripen the crop load that we've got."

Different growing environments

Mr Pooley said despite there being only about 20 kilometres between the Campania and Richmond vineyards, the two had totally different growing environments.

"Campania, right from the beginning of spring they set off and have looked a very strong vineyard," he said.

Read more at source: ABC