Larger Than Estimated: 2009 Grape Must Harvest in Germany

Based on data compiled by the German Wine-growers’ Association/Bonn and the Federal Office of Statistics/Wiesbaden, the German Wine Institute/Mainz now reports that the total grape must harvest of 2009 is equivalent to 9.14 million hectoliters. This is 8.6 percent less volume than in 2008, and 7.3 percent below the ten-year average.

Due to very favorable weather conditions in 2009, 53 percent of the crop was ripe enough to qualify as top quality wine (Prädikat wine level); 43 percent as simpler quality wine (QbA level); and merely 4 percent as Landwein or “Deutscher Wein”, a new EU term to denote a wine without a more narrowly defined designation of origin (formally table wine).

According to Monika Reule, managing director of the wine institute: “Given the high quality of wine achieved in 2009, it justifiably numbers among the top vintages of recent years. These wines offer extraordinary pleasure for their price, and are in tune with market conditions, in terms of both quality and quality.” 

Latest estimates of the European Commission indicate that the overall volume of European wine production in 2009 – 164.6 million hl – was down four percent compared with 2008, and ten percent below the long-term average.

Regional Overview of the 2009 Grape Must Harvest in Germany

More statistics on German Wine

Learn more about "Generation Riesling", see also portraits of highly skilled, young German vintners at www.generation-riesling.de

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