The 2026 grape wine harvest in Germany starts with promising qualities

One week before the five-year average

With harvesting set to begin in the second week of August, the 2026 vintage will start around one week earlier than the average for the last five years, according to the German Wine Institute (DWI). The harvest for sparkling wine base wines will also begin in the next few days and will transition seamlessly into the harvest of early-ripening grape varieties for wine production.

Very healthy grapes

Thanks to the dry, hot weather of recent weeks, the grapes are currently in excellent health across all German wine-growing regions. Consumers can therefore look forward to very aromatic and fruit-forward Federweißer from local regions.

No widespread damage

Apart from localised hailstorms, which in some regions such as the Palatinate, Baden or Württemberg, have in some cases caused considerable damage to the vineyards, winegrowers have so far been spared any major weather-related disasters this year.

Young vines are suffering from the drought

The extreme drought is causing problems particularly for younger vineyards, whose root systems are not yet fully developed. Here, grapes had to be removed as early as the summer to relieve the strain on the vines. Where possible, irrigation was also carried out. Older vineyards are still in comparatively good condition, provided they are not growing on light soils that can retain very little water.

Small, concentrated berries

Due to the lack of water, the grapes are generally smaller and not quite as juicy as in normal years. On the one hand, this makes the must very concentrated and aromatic; on the other hand, it is also likely to affect the expected harvest yields.

Cooler, dry weather and a little rain would be ideal

The cooler temperatures forecast from next week onwards are very welcome for the remainder of the grape ripening process. If, in addition, there were light rainfall to alleviate the acute water shortage and the weather remained largely dry for the rest of the harvest period, these would be the best conditions for a high-quality 2026 vintage.