The flowering of the vines varies greatly
This year, in warmer areas of Germany, the vine blossoming began in some cases as early as the very sunny spell at the end of May, and proceeded very rapidly and without any problems.
In some areas, the grapes have already reached the "pea-size" stage. According to the German Wine Institute (DWI), early-flowering vineyards are running a good week ahead of the 30-year average in their development. A very early start to the harvest is indicated for these vineyards; depending on the grape variety, it could begin as early as August. This is because grapes are generally ready for harvest about 90 to 100 days after flowering.
The situation is quite different in vineyards located in cooler areas or regions. There, flowering is currently taking somewhat longer than usual due to the cooler weather since the beginning of June, and is not progressing as uniformly. In some places, there are significant discrepancies in flowering progress within a single vineyard. This is referred to as a ‘scattered’ flowering. It will be over in the next few days once temperatures rise again.
Winegrowers must take these differences in ripening between early and late-ripening vineyards into account when planning the autumn harvest. Overall, the development of the vines can currently be assessed as good to very good.
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Contact persons
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Ernst Büscher
Press officer
