A lot of rain in August gave hope for a large harvest, now the warm and sunny September is likely to dampen this forecast somewhat – but when it comes to weather, every “last meter” counts.
According to the German Wine Institute (DWI), the 2023 harvest will be largely completed by the end of September. “The sunny weather in September greatly accelerated ripening,” said spokesman Ernst Büscher from the DWI to the German Press Agency in Mainz.
This applies especially to the growing regions of Rheinhessen, Baden and Palatinate as well as to the Burgundy varieties. “That’s extremely early this year.” On the Moselle and Middle Rhine, where Riesling dominates, the harvest continues until October. “The weather is once again crucial in the last few meters.”
The weather changes between heat, humidity and dryness this year were “very challenging” for winemakers, said Büscher. “For many companies, grape health is more important than extracting the last degree of Oechsle.” This is the unit of measurement for the sugar content of the grapes. The capricious weather would have had a particularly small impact on the fungus-resistant grape varieties (Piwi) and the Silvaner with its slightly thicker berry skin. “The advantage this year was that the soil was light and skeletal, allowing water to drain easily.”
After the rain in August, many berries dried out a little due to the warm and sunny September weather. It is still too early to make an accurate forecast of the harvest quantity. However, this will probably be lower than estimated by the Federal Statistical Office. At the beginning of September, the authorities had expected a significantly higher harvest than in the previous year. The estimate was almost 9.9 million hectoliters of wine must, 9.1 percent more than the previous year.
Source: Stern
