Heavy rain last week caused major concerns for wine makers across the region.

The wet weather struck at a time when red wine grapes were ripening, ready for picking.

But it put the fruit at risk of splitting, which exposed the grapes to the potential of mould or rot taking hold.

Briar Ridge wine maker Gwyn Olsen said she was cautiously optimistic about this year’s vintage.

She told the Mercury last week that 91mm of rain had been recorded at Briar Ridge between January 26 and 28.

“We’re pretty happy with how it’s holding up,” she said yesterday. “There is a little bit of rot coming through in some blocks but the good blocks are coming up well.”

Hunter Valley Wine Tourism Association vice president Andrew Margan said, while some vineyards would not be picked this year, he was reasonably optimistic about the quality of the 2015 vintage across the region.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed,” he said.

“The rain changes the natural chemicals of the grape. You tend to get softer wines.”

Wine makers will have a nervous wait to fully discover the effect of the wet weather on the quality and quantity of their produce and the flow-on impact this could have.

Last year’s vintage was universally described as stunningly good.