Favourable weather sets up stable wine harvest in 2026

Stephen Grootes speaks to Wandile Sihlobo, Chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa about the industry’s cautious optimism for the 2026 harvest and the role of favourable weather conditions in sustaining agricultural growth.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below. 

Early production signals from South Africa’s wine industry suggest that the favourable conditions seen in 2025 are likely to extend into 2026, offering a positive outlook for one of the country’s most important agricultural value chains.

South Africa Wine, the representative body for wine and brandy producers, says the sector is entering the 2026 harvest season with “cautious optimism”, following the release of the first official crop estimate from private and producer-cellar growers.

The estimate points to a stable and potentially slightly larger harvest compared to last year.

For the second consecutive season, vineyards have largely avoided major weather disruptions such as frost and flooding, allowing the positive momentum of 2025 to continue.

South Africa’s wine production is concentrated in the Western Cape, a winter rainfall region, with smaller production areas in the Northern Cape.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa says the favourable weather pattern is emerging as a key catalyst not only for wine production but for agriculture more generally.

"...because we had this intense heat and nice rains at the appropriate time, it terns out the maturation of the grapes have actually been excellent, and the volume of course has been good." 

- Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist - Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

"The only thing now is, who do we sell all of the quality to in the world market?"

- Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist - Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

"There are people in Europe who must pay for this high quality wine that we produce, as well as the UK. And of course we continue to look in other markets in Asia, particularly China..."

- Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist - Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.