Agriculture - "Poker with the seasons": Hardly any ice wine harvested so far
So far, winegrowers in the German winegrowing regions have only harvested a very limited amount of ice wine. In total, "just under two handfuls" of wineries have used the cold period around December 3rd and 4th for this, Ernst Büscher from the German Wine Institute (DWI) based in Bodenheim told the German Press Agency. In Rhineland-Palatinate there were five winegrowers, in Rheinhessen Silvaner was harvested by four wineries and on the Mosel Riesling by one. In Franconia - specifically in Volkach - and in Württemberg, where, unlike in Rhineland-Palatinate, areas for ice wine do not have to be registered in advance, we know of one and two wineries respectively.
Due to the wet late summer, it was quite a challenge to have healthy grapes on the vine so late in the year. Many winegrowers were happy to have their grapes healthy in the fall. Not too many had dared to leave their grapes hanging for so long. This is always a"poker with the seasons", said Büscher. According to the DWI, insufficiently cool temperatures often mean a total loss for winegrowers; in some cases, the grapes can still be used as Beerenauslese.
According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture, only 40 wineries in total had registered areas for a possible ice wine harvest this winter. The total area registered was 32 hectares. The year before, it was 24 hectares, the year before that 107 hectares and in 2018 even more than 500 hectares. Many winegrowers were not convinced that they would be able to harvest healthy grapes after the mixed fall, explained Benjamin Petry, the chamber's viticulture officer, at the end of November. Ice wine is a rarity and demands a great deal of skill from the winegrower. "Especially after a difficult autumn, only a few winegrowers dare to take the risk."
Ice wine requires temperatures of minus seven degrees or less over several hours so that the water in the berries still hanging on the vine freezes despite their high sugar content. The overripe grapes are harvested frozen and pressed. A harvest of ice wine in December is now comparatively rare, said Büscher. If there is one, it is more likely to be in January or February. "The days on which it is possible to harvest ice wine are becoming fewer," he said.
Press release from the German Wine Institute (from 5.12.23)
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- Despite the limited ice wine harvest in Germany, winegrowers in Baden-Württemberg are still optimistic about their cultivation area for the grape variety.
- Serious Büscher from the German Wine Institute acknowledged that Poker with the seasons is quite challenging in Rhineland-Palatinate, but the farmers are undeterred.
- In contrast to Rhineland-Palatinate, winegrowers in Bavaria and Franconian regions, such as Franken, are known for their agrarian practices that allow for a wider window for ice wine harvesting.
- The German Press Agency reported that only a handful of wineries in the Moselle region had successfully harvested ice wine, which is a culinary specialty of the country.
- The cultivation of grapes for ice wine in Germany is a skilled art, requiring specially overripe grapes that have withstood the test of time and weather conditions.
- According to statistics from the German Wine Institute, the total registered cultivation area for ice wine in Baden-Württemberg has increased significantly over the past few years, reflecting the growing popularity of this wine variety.
- With warmer winters and changing climate patterns, it remains to be seen how the cultivation area for ice wine will evolve in Germany, particularly in regions like Baden-Württemberg and Moselle.
Source: www.stern.de
