Singlefile's 2025 Vintage Report
As we near the conclusion of another harvest in the Great Southern, we take a moment to reflect on the season that shaped the 2025 vintage. From first budburst through to final pick, this year’s growing conditions will impart their distinctive mark on the wines we produce. White varieties are picked and now beginning their journey in the winery, with the final reds due to come off the vine in the weeks ahead. Standout varieties are emerging and, with early signs of exceptional quality, we eagerly anticipate the character and depth that vintage 2025 will bring to the glass.
In this report, we share insights into the season’s conditions, the varieties that truly shined, and what to expect from this exciting new vintage.
Weather Conditions
Growing season conditions throughout the Great Southern have been wonderful this year—offering warm, even temperatures and clear skies. The biggest challenge has simply been our picking teams keeping pace with Mother Nature. With the consistent warm weather, varieties have been ripening almost simultaneously, with reds following the whites in quick succession. Vintage this year has been about two to three weeks early due to consistent warm weather and general lack of rain, which has also resulted in very low disease pressure in this year’s fruit.
During harvest, there was one large rain event in mid-March, with parts of Albany experiencing flooding, and the Frankland River subregion receiving almost all of its nearly 50mm of March rain in one day. In Frankland, the rain was a blessing—freshening up the vineyards and resulting in an easing of heat which also took some pressure off picks, allowing the fruit an additional week or so on vine to develop flavour. Mount Barker, which received 125mm of rain in one day, was slightly more stressful with fiano, chardonnay and arneis still on the vine; though luckily warm and clear weather followed soon afterwards.
Expectations for Vintage 2025
Overall, 2025 looks to be a stand out vintage in the Great Southern, with premium quality fruit and slightly higher than expected yields across the board. Our winemaking team is especially excited about the quality of this year’s chardonnay and riesling, while also anticipating that Frankland River reds will be exceptional following ideal ripening conditions and the well-timed rain during harvest. Pinot noir has been the most challenging variety this year, with some of the delicate fruit still on vine during the brief but heavy rain; although the quality of the fruit coming into the winery has proven to be excellent.
“While we made the most of the unprecedentedly warm weather last year, we have welcomed the more temperate conditions of this 2025 vintage.” said Patrick Corbett, Managing Director and Co-founder of Singlefile Wines. “Our experienced winemaking team reports that the fruit quality this year looks outstanding, and we are very excited to see how the wines express themselves.
“Fruit for this year’s Limited Release wines—‘The Pamela’, ‘The Vivienne’ and ‘The Philip Adrian’—is all of exceptional quality and appears to display the flavour attributes we hope for in these premium offerings. We have also secured a small parcel of nebbiolo, destined for our Small Batch collection, which we look forward to revealing to you. We will continue to keep you appraised of our progress as we prepare for bottling in the coming months.”
As our wines now begin their journey in the cellar, we look forward to watching them evolve, knowing that this year’s vintage holds incredible promise. With depth, balance, and a true reflection of the season and diverse terroir of the Great Southern, we expect these wines will be worth the wait. We look forward to sharing them with you in the months and years ahead.
Context of The Great Southern Region
Spanning more than 39,000 square kilometres, the Great Southern wine region is almost the size of Switzerland, capable of fitting Burgundy into its expanse 130 times over. Home to five unique subregions, defined by dramatically differing landscapes and microclimates, the Great Southern is one of the only wine regions in the world that can produce such a broad range of world-class varieties. Each subregion offers unique terroir that results in cool-climate wines of purity and elegance.
Albany: With a maritime climate influenced by proximity to the Southern Ocean, Albany presents ideal conditions for exceptional sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and pinot noir.
Denmark: Slightly cooler and wetter, Denmark’s steep hills and valleys create unique microclimates perfect for complex chardonnay, riesling, and pinot noir.
Mount Barker: The coolest subregion, Mount Barker’s extended ripening period and cool nighttime conditions help fruit achieve ripeness while retaining natural acidity, ideal for age-worthy riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, and aromatic Mediterranean varietals.
Frankland River: A warmer Mediterranean climate, long stretches of sunlight and significantly cooler nights through the growing season creates fruit ripeness balanced by elegant acidity. Frankland River offers distinguished shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, grenache, and mataro.
Porongurup: Known for its ancient granite peaks and moderate Mediterranean climate, the Porongurup subregion has a unique thermal zone which reduces frost risk, promoting ideal ripening conditions for cool-climate varieties like riesling, chardonnay, and pinot noir.