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With the start of the harvest of the early-ripening Solaris variety at the Schwindt Winery in Weisenheim am Sand, Palatinate, the starting signal for the 2020 harvest season has been given. "We are about 14 days earlier with the start of the harvest than the long-term annual average," says winery owner Michael Schwindt, adding: "After the early-ripening Solaris and Ortega varieties, the harvest of the main grape varieties will begin around 25 August
For the entire Palatinate wine region, the Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum Rheinpfalz (DLR) in Neustadt-Mußbach cautiously predicts positive prospects for the coming vintage. "We can be very satisfied at this time, especially with regard to the topics of early ripeness, hang and grape health," explains Dr Matthias Petgen from the DLR Institute of Viticulture and Oenology. For the coming weeks, he wishes the winegrowers "abundant land rainfall" and a dry phase during the harvest. Petgen expects an overall 'early vintage': "We are a little later than in 2018, but even earlier than last year," said Petgen.
(uka / Photo: German Wine Institute)