The wine harvest in Germany this fall will be the smallest in years: (symbolic image)
Keystone
The wine harvest in Germany this autumn will be the smallest in years: according to estimates from all 13 wine-growing regions, only 7.3 million hectoliters of must are expected in 2025, as announced by the German Wine Institute in Bodenheim.
This would be the lowest quantity since 2010, when 7.1 million hectoliters were harvested. However, the quality of the wines this year is “extremely good”.
According to the Wine Institute, the reason for the lower harvest in 2025 is in particular smaller grape berries. In addition, the winegrowers had to intensively select the grapes after the heavy rainfall in the second half of September, which further reduced the yield.
The four largest wine-growing regions reported a significantly lower harvest: Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Baden and Württemberg. The estimated volume in Rheinhessen alone is 23 percent below the ten-year average, in the Palatinate it is 18 percent less, in Baden 15 percent less and in Württemberg 22 percent less. Double-digit declines are also expected on the Nahe, in the Rheingau and in the Hessische Bergstrasse growing region.
Good quality
According to the Wine Institute, the Saale, Saale-Unstrut and Ahr regions in particular are looking forward to good yields – they suffered greatly from extreme late frost damage last year and are therefore recording triple-digit percentage increases. In the Mosel and Franconia regions, too, harvest volumes are slightly above average.
Due to the high grape ripeness in all 13 growing regions, the wine qualities are considered to be extremely good: “Although the grape berries were often smaller this year, they were all the more aromatic, which means that very concentrated and fruity wines can be expected,” explained the spokesman for the Weininstitut Ernst Büscher.
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