Vine blooming commenced in Germany's wine regions

The growing season so far has been characterized by an interplay of warm, dry phases and cool, wet periods with occasional heavy rainfall. This weather led to inconsistent development of the vines - both between regions and within individual sites.

Regional insights

In the Pfalz region, the mild weather in spring led to early budding and rapid development of early-flowering varieties in individual vineyards. In late harvest sites, on the other hand, flowering is still delayed.

In the Mosel and Ahr wine regions, the intensive rainfall of recent weeks has filled the water reservoirs well. With the predicted midsummer temperatures, vine growth is now expected to accelerate and flowering to proceed quickly. However, according to the Moselle DLR, the developmental stages of flowering are still far apart at present - ranging from “shortly before flowering” to “shot grain size” of the berries.

There are also signs of an early year in Franken/Bavaria. The rising temperatures promise rapid flowering, which could indicate an early harvest.

In the Rheingau, the cool temperatures of the past week initially brought the blossom to a standstill. However, with the current rise in temperatures and rain-free weather, flowering is now progressing rapidly. In many vineyards, the “emerging blossom” stage of development should be reached by the weekend.

Outlook for the harvest

If the weather remains stable in the coming weeks, winegrowers are expecting a good fruit set. However, the different regional flowering times could lead to staggered harvest phases.