German winemakers expect significant decline in grape harvest

German winemakers say this year's grape harvest is forecast to be the lowest since 2017, with approximately 7.9 million hectolitres of must - the juice squeezed from the fresh grapes - forecast by an industry lobbying group, reported dpa.

This would be about 10% less than the 10-year average of 8.8 million hectolitres and around 9% less than in 2023. The last time there was a similarly low yield was in 2017, with 7.5 million hectolitres, the German Wine Institute in Bodenheim said on Friday.

The wine industry uses the hectolitre as its standard measure. It is equivalent to 100 litres.

Late frosts, abundant rainfall, hail and weather fluctuations have caused the quantity of harvested grapes to vary greatly, depending on the growing region and grape variety.

The year-on-year losses were particularly severe in the eastern growing region of Saxony and Saale-Unstrut in the centre of Germany. Both estimate declines of around 70%.

In the famed Moselle region, widespread hailstorms in May hit the yields so severely that the smallest harvest in 50 years is expected. A 30% drop compared to last year is estimated.

The two largest German wine-growing regions, Rhine Hesse and the Palatinate, or Rheinhessen and Pfalz in German, largely escaped the frost. Rhine Hesse is the only one of the 13 growing regions to show a slight increase.

The rainy year is expected to produce "wines rich in extract with pronounced minerality," with the long ripening period having positively affected the aroma development in the berries, according to the experts.

The German Wine Institute's estimate is based on figures provided by the German Winegrowers' Association.