|
|
This year the harvest is coming to an end earlier than expected due to the ripening of the grapes and the humid autumn weather. As the German Wine Institute (DWI) reports on the basis of an initial yield estimate, the 2019 nationwide grape must harvest in Germany is expected to be 8.6 million hectolitres, around 17 percent below the previous year's volume and two percent below the ten-year average of 8.8 million hectolitres.
The second dry year in succession in particular, but also sunburn damage to the grapes and regionally limited hailstorms have led to the reduction in yield. However, there are relatively large yield differences in the thirteen growing regions as well as within the individual regions and even for individual vineyards.
In the three largest German wine-growing regions of Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Baden as well as on the Moselle and Nahe, the forecast harvest volumes fluctuate only slightly around the ten-year average. The producers in Saale-Unstrut are expecting the largest yield decreases with a minus of 19 percent. But also in Franconia, Wuerttemberg and on the Ahr, the expected harvest quantities are ten to 15 percent lower than the average of the last ten years. Producers in Saxony are happy about a probable plus of 30 percent and 24 percent in the Middle Rhine region.
(uka / Photo: German Weiinstitut)