The Eiswein harvest has begun in many of Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions. The cold snap allowed the frozen grapes to be harvested earlier than the long-term average.

Eiswein harvest 2025 in Nieder-Olm, Weingut Bischofsmühle, Rheinhessen.

Under a clear, starry night and temperatures as low as -9°C, winegrowers in Rheinhessen, Franken, Sachsen, Pfalz, the Hessische Bergstrasse, Württemberg, and the Mosel wine region, among others, successfully harvested the valuable frozen grapes. In addition to Riesling and Silvaner grapes, the new, robust variety Souvignier Gris was also frequently harvested.

Perfect frost conditions for Souvignier Gris, Riesling & Co.

For example, the Bergsträsser Winzer eG cooperative in Hessische Bergstrasse took advantage of the early and ideal frost conditions to harvest the sought-after ice wine from the Souvignier Gris grape variety with a must weight of 180° Oechsle in the Heppenheimer Eckweg vineyard. This meant that the Bergsträsser Winzer cooperative successfully harvested ice wine twice this year.

The team at the Bischofsmühle winery in Nieder-Olm in Rheinhessen was also delighted with their perfectly healthy frozen Souvignier Gris grapes . “For Eiswein, the grapes must be as healthy as possible,” says Ernst Büscher from the German Wine Institute (DWI). The Souvignier Gris variety has a very thick skin and therefore remains healthy for a very long time. This is why it is being used more and more frequently for Eiswein production.

Thanks to the early onset of winter, the Heymanns winery was also able to harvest Eiswein grapes in the Edenkobener Kirchberg vineyard in Pfalz . At frigid temperatures of -8°C, frozen Pinot Noir grapes with a must weight of 131° Oechsle were harvested. The Blees Ferber winery in Mosel was also fortunate enough to produce Eiswein twice within ten months: at -9.4°C, the winery team harvested frozen Riesling grapes with a must weight of 160° Oechsle. Frosty temperatures of -8.5 to -9°C enabled the Schloss Hallburg winery in Franken near Volkach to achieve a Silvaner Eiswein harvest in their monopole vineyard, Hallburger Schlossberg, with a remarkable must weight of 197° Oechsle.

Eiswein production is not successful every year

Making Eiswein always involves some risk. The law requires a minimum temperature of minus seven degrees Celsius at which the grapes must be pressed. In Pfalz, the wine control authority checks the health of the grapes and verifies that the legally required minimum must weight of 120° Oechsle has been reached. 

A premium sweet specialty in international demand

The secret of Eiswein lies in the high concentration of nutrients in healthy grapes. At freezing temperatures, the water in the berries freezes and remains in the wine press. The juice then drips from the press, sweet as honey. Musts with such high sugar content are very difficult for the yeast to ferment into wine. Accordingly, Eiswein typically has very high natural residual sugar levels, well over 100 grams per liter – with a comparatively low alcohol content of around 7% by volume. Thanks to the fresh fruit acidity, however, the sweetness is not overpowering. As a rare specialty, German Eiswein enjoys great acclaim worldwide.

Excellent vintage expected in 2025

The outstanding quality and impressive must weights suggest an excellent Eiswein from the 2025 vintage, which will delight connoisseurs and lovers of sweet wines alike.