The grape harvest starts a little later this year than last. The fact that the summer was not as warm and dry as in previous years is apparently not a big problem for the winemakers.
The grape harvest in Germany began about two weeks later than in previous years. Together with several helpers, the Rhenish Hessian winemaker Mathias Wolf cut grapes of the early-ripening Solaris grape variety for Federweißer production in Lörzweiler (Mainz-Bingen district).
“We had a lot of rain, but if we have a nice Indian summer now, everything will be fine,” said the winemaker. Because of the high humidity, this year there is widespread loss of yield due to the fungal disease downy mildew, said Ernst Büscher from the German Wine Institute. But it is still too early to make a harvest forecast in the 13 German wine-growing regions. “The winemakers are not at all angry about having a normal year again after the very warm and dry years from 2018 to 2020.”
Last year, the first grapes for the young wine were picked on August 10th in the Palatinate community of Weisenheim am Sand (Bad Dürkheim district). The earliest start of the harvest for Federweiss was on August 6th in 2018. In the past 20 years, the beginning of the harvest for the Federweisser production was only later in 2013, said Büscher. The main harvest with the grape varieties for quality wines begins in mid to late September, depending on the weather.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
