Agricultural: Winegrowers are harvesting more wine despite the drought

Despite the severe drought, winegrowers in Germany are expecting an above-average wine harvest.

Agricultural: Winegrowers are harvesting more wine despite the drought

Despite the severe drought, winegrowers in Germany are expecting an above-average wine harvest. The Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday that the volume is expected to be 8.88 million hectoliters of wine must this year. That would be 4.2 percent more than in the previous year and also more than the average harvest over the past six years.

The drought had little effect on the deep-rooted wine, especially since the more sensitive young vines were often watered. According to the Federal Office, there was no major crop damage from frost, hail or storms.

The predominant grape variety will remain Riesling, the volume of which is expected to decrease by 4.2 percent to 1.9 million hectoliters of must. The second most important white grape variety in terms of area, Müller-Thurgau, was at the previous year's level with 1.08 million hectoliters. Among the reds, which account for a good third of production, the Pinot Noir rose by 29.3 percent to 930,500 hectolitres.

Winegrowers in the growing regions of the Middle Rhine (50.1 percent), Baden (46.9 percent) and Saale-Unstrut (35.3 percent) can look forward to significant increases in volume. On the other hand, there are losses in the Rheingau, in Rheinhessen and on the Moselle. More than half of German wine comes from the Rheinhessen and Pfalz regions.

Destatis notification of the 2022 harvest

NEXT NEWS