- Commencement of the harvest at Wackerbarth Castle in Radebeul
In the heart of Radebeul, the Saxon State Winery Schloss Wackerbarth initiated the grape picking season. The winemakers essencesly plucked the initial bunch of Goldriesling grapes, a renowned Saxony specialty, straight from the Paradise vineyard site. The early-maturing Solaris variety is predicted to join the bandwagon in the upcoming days. Sadly, due to weather-induced reductions in yield, the Solaris won't be available as a young wine this year.
The harsh late frost that struck in mid-April wreaked havoc across the Elbe Valley vineyards, causing losses of approximately 80% in this year's wine crop. The secondary budding of the vines was only able to partially offset these losses. Martin Junge, the winery's spokesperson for Wackerbarth, stated bluntly, "2024 isn't going to be a promising year, quality-wise." The winery is also anticipating a "significantly decreased" harvest. However, there's a silver lining in this cloud – Saxony's vineyards will still yield grapes this year.
Despite the significant loss in the crop due to the late frost, the winery is still expected to undergo the ['Harvesting of grapes']. The affected Goldriesling and Solaris grapes may not be available as young wines this year, but the vineyards will nonetheless provide a harvest.
