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The 2021 grape harvest in Germany has been completed and yields rather lean wines, reports the German Wine Institute (DWI). After the three hot and very dry vintages from 2018 to 2020 with early harvests, 2021 was rather cool and characterised by a lot of precipitation until summer. In addition to slowed growth, downy mildew was a major problem for winegrowers in some regions.
The fine weather in September ensured healthy ripeness with good must weights. According to the DWI, the wines will have less alcohol but "a distinct aroma". According to the current estimate, the harvest volume of 8,733,000 hectolitres is three per cent higher than in 2020, which was affected by spring frost, and only slightly below the ten-year average. There are large regional differences: Baden with a minus of 20 percent and the Nahe with minus ten percent have significantly smaller harvests than the average, the Middle Rhine with plus 30 percent and Franconia with plus twelve percent are significantly above.
(al / Source and photo: DWI)