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According to the German Wine Institute (DWI), the grape harvest in Germany was smaller than forecast. The latest estimates assume a nationwide yield of around 8.8 million hectolitres of wine must. This is one percent less than the average yield of the past ten years and three percent less than the previous year's harvest of 9.1 million hectolitres. The reason for the lower yields was the necessary thorough selection of healthy grapes.
The yields in the 13 wine-growing regions are also very heterogeneous. In the three largest German wine-growing regions, Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Baden, quantities are expected to be about the same as in the past ten years. In Württemberg, winegrowers are expecting a loss of five per cent compared to the ten-year average, while yields in Mosel are four per cent lower. In Saxony, the 2023 harvest was particularly pleasing: The vintners harvested around 23 percent more than in the previous year. In the Saale-Unstrut growing region, too, the harvest volume is 13 percent above the ten-year average yield. With an estimated increase of nine percent, producers in Franconia are also positive overall. The harvest was also higher on the Nahe (+8 percent), in the Rheingau (+6 percent) and on the Hessische Bergstrasse (+6 percent).
According to the DWI, the quality is extremely promising thanks to the very sunny and dry late autumn, especially for Riesling and Silvaner. International red wine varieties also benefited from the vintage, as did grapes for the production of noble sweet wines. The vintage was marked by extreme drought in June. According to the DWI, the wineries coped well with the heavy rainfall until August and the appearance of the cherry vinegar fly. The persistent late summer rain, on the other hand, made a very fast harvest necessary. This was a challenge for many winegrowers, as most grape varieties ripened almost simultaneously.
Harvesting took place during the day and also at night in order to get the grapes into the cellar as cool as possible in the exceptionally warm September. The grape harvest was already over in Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Baden by the end of September. Some winegrowers spoke of the fastest harvest they had ever experienced.
(ru / DWI)