SA's slow grape harvest will produce 'remarkable wines' â and ease lockdown's oversupply Business Insider SA facebook (Getty Images) South Africa's 2021 grape harvest is expected to produce "remarkable wines" due to slower ripening rates, according to industry body Vinpro. The slow harvest, which extended to late May in some regions, is the result of cooler weather throughout the season. This allowed grapes to "reach optimum ripeness". It's also allowed wineries some extra time to get ride of oversupply resulting from lockdown's alcohol bans. For more stories go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za. South Africa's wine producers will receive a much-needed boost from the 2021 harvest which, in addition to being significantly larger than last year's, has been unusually late. This is expected to improve the wine's quality and has given the industry more time to handle oversupply issues stemming from lockdown's alcohol bans.