Germany’s 2026 grape harvest has begun earlier than ever recorded after an exceptionally hot summer, according to the German Wine Institute.
“This was the earliest start to the harvest ever in all wine-growing regions,” spokesman Ernst Büscher said. “Some winegrowers even cut short their holidays because of it.”
Büscher said not only grapes for young wine and sparkling wine, but also the first grapes for premium wines, had already been harvested. The main harvest is expected to get under way on a large scale next week.
He said the main harvest had begun another one to two weeks earlier than in recent years and around four weeks earlier than 30 or 40 years ago.
The harvest is expected to be completed in September.
“It will be a very fast harvest because almost all varieties are ripening at the same time,” Büscher said, adding that heavy rain could speed things up further.
Büscher said growers were picking the grapes early to prevent sugar levels from becoming too high, which would tend to produce fuller-bodied wines with higher alcohol content.
Demand, however, is increasingly for lighter wines with lower alcohol levels, he said. Excessive heat can also reduce the fruit acidity characteristic of German wines.
Büscher said the grapes were still very healthy and growers were “very satisfied” with the quality so far. However, he said yields were expected to be below average because the grapes were smaller than usual.
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