Pressrelease

A sudden cold snap sending temperatures plummeting to -12C in several top grape growing regions, enabled vintners in some exceptional cases to harvest icewine ("Eiswein") in Germany. Eiswein is made exclusively from grapes left to freeze on the vine, creating a sweet, concentrated wine with a unique quality and flavour.

Thanks to a rapid, organized harvest and strict grape selection, German winemakers were able to successfully meet the challenges of the 2014 vintage head on. The German Wine Institute (DWI) has collected detailed harvest reports from Germany's 13 classified winegrowing regions.

Reports pouring in from around Germany indicate that this year's wine harvest is coming to an unusually rapid and early end. The next few days are expected to see many estates harvest their top quality berries in late-ripening varieties such as Riesling.

At this time, harvesting has already started here and there, but as the main harvest really begins to get underway, German wine-growers are optimistic about a good vintage in 2009. Physiologically, the crop is well ripened and in a nearly optimal state of health thanks to outstanding weather in late summer.

Relatively speaking, German wine exports during the first half of 2009 were barely affected by the worldwide economic crisis. According to data released by the German Wine Institute/Mainz, compared with the first half of 2008, export volume increased by 4.3%, or one million hecotliters, while export value decreased slightly by 1.9%, or EUR 195...

A spirit of optimism pervaded the first summit meeting of "Generation Riesling" in the Mainz citadel. Some 80 young wine-growers - highly qualified, motivated, committed and full of new ideas - accepted the invitation of the Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI), Mainz, to the first workshop of "Generation Riesling".

At the invitation of the German Wine Institute/Mainz, some 63 sommeliers and 11 Masters of Wine gathered at Germany's renowned research and teaching institute in Geisenheim on 25 April for a "Sommelier Spring Class".

At the invitation of the German Wine Institute/Mainz, some 63 sommeliers and 11 Masters of Wine gathered at Germany's renowned research and teaching institute in Geisenheim on 25 April for a "Sommelier Spring Class".

The German Wine Institute and Lufthansa have agreed to a long-term, strategic partnership. The goal is to foster a greater appreciation of quality wines "made in Germany" among the premium airline’s clientele. Speaking at the ProWein international wine trade fair in Düsseldorf, the head of Lufthansa’s inflight service sector, Dr. Ingo Bülow,...

The German Wine Institute and Lufthansa have agreed to a long-term, strategic partnership. The goal is to foster a greater appreciation of quality wines "made in Germany" among the premium airline’s clientele. Speaking at the ProWein international wine trade fair in Düsseldorf, the head of Lufthansa’s inflight service sector, Dr. Ingo Bülow,...