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Germany expects ‘good’ 2016 vintage despite reduced yields
Harvesting of the later-ripening Riesling will probably stretch until the end of October, weather conditions permitting. A long ripening period with warm days and cool nights promotes the aromatic development of the grapes, resulting in the fruit-driven wines that are characteristic of the wines of Germany.
The German Wine Institute (DWI) said that harvest volumes will be lower than average this year due to the extremely wet weather in early summer, which is expected to result in lower yields owing to instances of downy mildew.
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According to current estimates, the DWI expects a total harvest volume across German wine regions of around 8.6 million hectolitres – albeit with large deviations from the average depending on region and individual estate.
This year´s crop would then lie 5% below the 10-year average and 4% behind last year´s totals.
Of particular note is the predicted 24% drop in yield from the long-term average yield in the Nahe region and the 15% drop predicted in the Mosel.
At this stage last year, German growers were feeling apprehensive due to persistent rain and warm weather which, after a hot and dry summer, had presented the risk of the onset of rot.
Ultimately though, producers celebrated a very good vintage, with a survey by the DWI finding that all German growing regions had reported top quality yields.
The vintage also produced an unusually high number of top quality noble sweet wines, from auslese to trockenbeerenauslese.
Germany’s 2016 yield forecast by region (hl):
Figures supplied by the German Winegrower´s Association (DWV)