The sunny summer has caused the grapes to ripen very quickly this year. The first grapes harvested in the Pfalz and Baden regions for youthful styles for domestic drinking in Germany are already exceptionally ripe.

Steep slope harvest machine in Mosel, Germany

One week before the five-year average

With the harvest starting in the second week of August, the grape harvest for the 2026 vintage will begin about a week earlier than the average of the last five years, according to the German Wine Institute (DWI). The harvest for base wines for sparkling wine will also begin in the next few days and will seamlessly transition into the harvest of early-ripening grape varieties for winemaking.

Very healthy grapes

Thanks to the dry, hot weather we have seen in the past few weeks, the grapes are currently in excellent condition in all German wine-growing regions. You can therefore look forward to very aromatic and fruity wines. 

No widespread damage

Apart from localised hailstorms, which caused considerable damage to vineyards in some regions such as the Pfalz, Baden or Württemberg, winegrowers have so far been spared major weather disasters this year.

Young vines are suffering from the drought

The extreme drought is causing problems, especially for younger vineyards whose root systems are not yet well-developed. Here, grapes had to be removed as early as summer to relieve the strain on the vines. Irrigation was also carried out where possible. Older vineyards are still in relatively good condition, provided they are not growing on light soils that retain little water.

Small, concentrated berries

Due to the lack of water, the grapes are generally smaller and not quite as juicy as in normal years. This results in very concentrated and aromatic musts, but it will also likely affect the expected harvest yields.

Cooler, dry weather and a little rain would be ideal.

The predicted cooler temperatures from next week onwards are very welcome for the further ripening of the grapes. If there were also light rainfall to alleviate the acute water shortage and it otherwise remained largely dry during the harvest period, these would be the best conditions for a high-quality 2026 vintage.