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Kick-off for German Federweißer harvest

08/18/2017

On 16 August 2017, harvest for "Federweißer", the new fermenting wine of this year, officially started in Neustadt, Germany. The first grapes of Solaris, an early-maturing variety, had ripened well. In the coming days, harvest for the "new wine" will also start in the other wine-growing regions.


Germany’s main grape harvest is expected to start in mid-September until end of September depending on the individual wine-growing regions.

At this stage of time, the ripening process is about two weeks ahead of the long-term average. Due to a late frost in late april Germany's vintners depended on so called "second shots" in many regions in order to achieve satisfying volume. Luckily vines casted out again in late spring and early summer.

Therefore losses in volume are limited to roughly 10% in average of all 13 wine growing regions. According to first estimates, the entire quantity harvested in Germany this year is expected to be slightly below the ten-year average of nine million hectolitres.

Vintners are now wishing for a sunny and dry autumn in the coming weeks. Combined with this year's sufficient supply of water, conditions could be ideal for a fine vintage 2017.

Video: Main harvest from mid september onwards

Video: Fermentation

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Großes Medieninteresse am Start der Federweißenlese in Neustadt an der Weinstraße

The media loves to cover the annual start of the "Federweißer" harvest (so called new wine) about four weeks before the start of the main harvest. Location: Neustadt an der Weinstraße

Frea Magin probiert die ersten Trauben der Sorte Findling, die mit über 80 Grad Oechle einen sehr guten Reifegrad haben

Frea Magin tastes grapes of the early ripening variety called Findling that got harvested with a quality level of 80 degree "Oechle" (sugar in grape scale)