Federweißen Harvest 2025: Perfect conditions for a great vintage!

Federweißen Harvest 2025: Perfect conditions for a great vintage!

The German Wine Institute (DWI) has classified the prospects for the 2025 wine harvest as “magnificent”. The vineyards in the 13 German wine-growing regions are healthy and well developed. According to a current analysis by DWI, which is included in the report Borken newspaper was published, the expected start of the Federweißen harvest will be around the same time as last year. In 2024, the first Federweißer was harvested around August 19th.

Ernst Büscher, spokesman for the DWI, commented on the situation of winegrowers and predicted that the general start of harvest for the early-ripening grape varieties will be in the first week of September. Federweißer, which is grape must made from white grape varieties with incomplete fermentation, has a lower alcohol content and tastes slightly sparkling.

Weather conditions and their effects

The situation has remained largely stable in recent weeks. Apart from isolated hailstorms, there was no major weather-related damage to the vines. The record temperatures at the beginning of July only sporadically caused sunburn on the grapes. However, there are concerns about a lack of or unevenly distributed rainfall in many regions, which is particularly stressful for young vineyards with shallow roots. The weather during the harvest will be crucial for the quality of the harvest.

The ideal conditions for vines include at least 1,300 hours of sunshine per year, an average temperature of at least 15°C during flowering and 18°C ​​during the growing season. Annual rainfall should be between 400 and 500 mm to ensure optimal growth for the vines, according to the information from German Wine Institute clarify.

Climate change and challenges

Climate change brings with it extreme weather conditions, which have already become noticeable in recent years. For example, the cool and rainy summer of 2010 resulted in high acid levels in musts and young wines, posing challenges to traditional winemaking methods.

Another example is the year 2018, in which the vines began to bloom up to two weeks earlier than usual. However, despite the low rainfall, the yields were enormous. In the long term, a lack of rainfall puts a considerable strain on the vines.

Winegrowers are warned about the risk of frost when temperatures drop in spring. Night frosts from -1°C can be dangerous for young shoots. To counteract this, winemakers use various measures, such as small stationary wind turbines to swirl the air and frost candles. Innovative methods such as biodynamic cultivation with valerian preparations are also used.

Overall, the situation for winegrowers remains tense, but the DWI's positive assessment of the upcoming harvest could give cause for hope.