The vines have been blooming in German vineyards for a few days now. Due to the relatively cool temperatures overall, the vine blossom has lasted a little longer this year than in previous years.

In warm vineyard locations or among early-ripening grape varieties, flowering is already complete, while in cooler locations or regions it is still ongoing. There, it remains to be seen how the currently cool night temperatures will affect the flowering process.

An exception are the frost-damaged vineyards, where the second budding of the vines was delayed. With these vines, it will take quite a while before the flowers start to bloom – if they do at all. Depending on the grape variety, new shoots from the budding vines are not as fertile. While, for example, Müller-Thurgau and some of the Burgundy varieties still produce some flowers during the second budding, this is hardly the case with Riesling.  

One week ahead of the long-term average

This year’s flowering period is about a week ahead of the long-term average. It also marks the beginning of grape development, as the grapes are ready for harvest around 90 to 100 days after flowering. Based on the current state of development, depending on the location and variety, the main harvest for the 2024 vintage can be expected to begin around early to mid-September.

For the period up to the grape harvest, the winegrowers are hoping for many sunny and not too hot days, but also the occasional rain shower to maintain the currently still good water supply for the vines in the vineyards.