Details

The Federweißer is also known as partly fermented "new wine"  and is very popular during the harvest season in Germany. For the production of Federweißer, as a rule, the grapes of early ripening grape varieties such as Solaris or Ortega are used.

Main harvest starts early to mid-September

The start of the main grape harvest of varieties such as Müller-Thurgau is expected in early to mid-September. For the production of sparkling wine, the first grapes of the Burgundy varieties could possibly be brought in as early as the end of August. The Riesling, which ripens later, should be ready to harvest in mid to late September this year, depending on the growing area.

Good starting position in the vineyards

Overall, the situation in the vineyards is quite good. The winegrowers have so far been spared major weather-related damage. After a good flowering of the vines, the fruit set of the vines is satisfactory and the grapes are well formed.

Challenges mastered

There was a lot to do in the vineyards this year due to an exceptionally high infestation pressure caused by powdery mildew, known in technical terms as oidium, which the winegrowers ultimately got a good grip on.

The severe drought in early summer was also challenging, especially in younger vineyards, whose root system is not yet so strongly developed. Some of them showed symptoms of drought stress, such as wilting, while older vineyards with their long roots reached even deeper water reserves. Therefore, the extensive rainfall of the last few weeks came just in time and in sufficient quantity for the vines.

At this point in time, the good water supply is also optimal for further ripening development, especially in connection with the predicted warmer temperatures. If it remains sunny in the next few weeks and largely dry, especially during the main harvest season, nothing prevents a good quality 2023 vintage.

Video: Federweißer-Production (German)

Wine knowledge: Federweißer

Video: Main harvest from mid september onwards

Video: Fermentation