After drought summer, German winemakers expect smallest harvest since 2010
The German Wine Institute expects output about 20% below the ten-year average. Young vines suffered from water shortages, but quality is seen as very high.
Symbolic image · Photo: ERO-Weinbau / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Germany's grape harvest this year is set to be the smallest in 16 years. The German Wine Institute (DWI) estimates volumes will be about 20% below the ten-year average of 8.7 million hectolitres. By comparison, 7.1 million hectolitres were harvested in 2010 and 7.7 million last year. Final figures are still pending.
The main reason was an extremely dry and sunny summer that left many grapes small. Yields varied widely depending on the age of the vines and the soil. Older vines coped well with the drought thanks to deep roots, DWI spokesman Ernst Büscher said. Young vineyards and plots on light soils, by contrast, visibly suffered from lack of water and had to be irrigated where possible.
The harvest is complete with few exceptions, including the Saale-Unstrut region. Expectations for quality are high. "Winemakers here expect comparatively small overall volumes, but top quality," Büscher said.