White wine is and remains the most popular in Germany. But red and rosé wines are now fighting a duel for consumers’ favor.
The production of rosé wines has reached a peak in Germany. This was announced by the German Wine Institute (DWI) in Bodenheim, Rhine-Hesse. The proportion of rosé in quality-tested wines increased from 13 to 16 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
According to the DWI, the increase in rosés comes at the expense of red wines. The proportion of red in quality-tested wines is 18 percent. White wines continue to be the most popular among Germans. Two thirds of the wines produced in 2023 were white – as in the previous year.
Dry wine is particularly popular
Germans also prefer dry wine. Just over half (51 percent) of all German quality and predicate wines on offer were dry in 2023. That was another percentage point more than 2022, but eight percentage points more than ten years ago (2013) and 15 percentage points more than 20 years ago (2003).
The proportion of sweet and sweet wines last year was at 29 percent, the same level as the previous year. One in five wines was considered semi-dry; this proportion had not changed compared to 2003.
A total of seven million hectoliters of quality and predicate wines successfully passed the quality wine test. According to the DWI, this corresponds to around 95 percent of German wine production. One hectoliter is 100 liters.
Frosts pose problems for winemakers
Night frosts caused problems for German winegrowers in April. The German Winegrowers Association, but also many regional winegrowers’ representatives, reported damage and feared loss of yield in the following days.
“Especially the uninsured companies – often those that sell their wine to cooperatives – have a problem. There will be a significant structural break,” said Martin Heiß, claims manager at Allianz Agrar-Plantversicherung. “Hundreds of businesses will not survive.”
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were around 16,400 wine-growing businesses in Germany last year. According to the Allianz, the damage pattern looks very different across the country: “We assume that in the wine-growing regions in eastern Germany, 90 to 100 percent of the vineyard area is significantly damaged,” said Heiß.
Largest growing areas were spared
Although these growing areas are smaller, the situation is similar in Franconia and on the Moselle. “The damage there is very, very severe. We are generally talking about more than 50 percent loss of yield.” Things don’t look quite so bad in Germany’s largest wine-growing regions, Rheinhessen and Palatinate. South Baden and the Lake Constance region, for example, got off lightly, reported Heiß.
Frank Schulz from the German Wine Institute confirmed that although some regions and companies were badly affected by the frost, the largest growing areas were largely spared. He therefore does not expect the damage to have an extreme impact on the price. Many winemakers would also open up other sources of sales – for example through more tourism.