The nationwide grape harvest will be larger than previously expected. As the German Wine Institute (DWI) announced after receiving the final harvest estimates from all 13 wine-growing regions, an estimated 7.7 million hectoliters of grape must were harvested in Germany this year.

Harvest 2026

This would put the national yield at the same level as last year and ten percent below the average harvest of the last ten years. However, harvest quantities in individual regions vary considerably depending on rainfall distribution and the water retention capacity of the soil.

Yields vary from region to region

In Germany’s three largest wine-growing regions, the year’s drought did not impact harvest volumes as severely as initially feared. In Rheinhessen, the estimated yield of 2.3 million hectoliters is on par with last year, while in the Palatinate, the second-largest region, the 2.1 million hectoliters is twelve percent above the below-average harvest of 2025. Compared to the long-term average, however, yields would be eight percent lower in Rheinhessen and five percent lower in the Palatinate.

The situation is similar in Baden, Germany’s third-largest wine-growing region, where the yield is estimated at around one million hectoliters, representing a three percent increase compared to 2025 and a twelve percent decrease compared to the ten-year average. Yields with double-digit increases compared to the previous year are expected in the Nahe region, the Rheingau, and along the Hessian Bergstrasse.

Mosel with less volume

In contrast, winegrowers along the Mosel River are expecting a harvest of only 610,000 hectoliters, which would be one of the smallest in recent years. In Franconia, the estimated grape must harvest of approximately 326,000 hectoliters is also significantly lower than last year’s result and 20 percent below the ten-year average. While the decrease compared to last year is substantial in Saxony and Saale-Unstrut, last year’s yield was also considerably above average.

Highly aromatic white wines, concentrated red wines

All 13 German wine-growing regions agree on the assessment of the wine quality, which is rated as very good due to the exceptionally high grape ripeness and the excellent health of the grapes. Wine lovers can therefore look forward to highly aromatic white wines, concentrated red wines, and first-class sweet wines from the 2026 vintage in Germany’s wine regions. Detailed reports on how the 2026 vintage developed in the 13 German wine-growing regions are available for download on this page.

Must estimates 2026 in Germany       (status/date october 21st 2026)

Source: Deutscher Weinbauverband / destatis