The wine harvest is average – Bavaria

The wine cellars in Franconia are filling up again. After a very bad harvest last year, the amount of wine harvested this year is in line with the long-term average, as the Franconian Viticulture Association announced on Friday in Kitzingen. However, there were very large regional differences. “In some places, downy mildew has led to a small harvest – elsewhere we have good yields,” said Artur Steinmann, President of the Franconian Viticulture Association. Downy mildew (downy mildew) is a fungus that has spread this summer due to a lot of rain and persistent leaf wetness.

The Viticulture Association expects moderate price increases for consumers. He cited increased purchase prices for boxes and labels as the reason. In total, the Franconian winemakers were able to win 48 million liters of grape must. In 2020 they had experienced a record low of only 27 million liters – the smallest harvest in 35 years. This year 7,900 liters of wine were collected per hectare. The long-term average is 7600 liters per hectare, in 2020 it was only 4400 liters.

The current harvest started relatively late. According to the association, it will run until the end of October in individual companies. The year was labor-intensive for vintners, as a lot of rain and warm temperatures led to heavy vegetation. Franconia is by far the largest wine-growing region in Bavaria. According to the State Office for Statistics, there are 1463 wine-growing businesses in Franconia. Most of them are family businesses. The size of the individual farms is growing. The total area under cultivation is about 6000 hectares.