Record early harvest after a hot and dry 2026 summer with very little disease pressure.
“ The grapes are healthy due to the dry and hot weather of the past weeks, but they are also smaller and have less juice than in other years. This results in very concentrated musts with intense aromas. However, the yield and thus the [harvest] quantity is estimated to be small.”
Temperatures seem to have cooled down a bit from mid august - I ordered some 2025 Kabinett from Weinhaus Trier, Lobenberg and Weiss and got notice from one after the other that they resumed deliveries again since temperatures were lower than 25 degrees C.
Will be interesting to see for the Mosel area if these cooler temperatures remain and which amount of rain they get in the following weeks.
At Hofgut Falkenstein, we have been busy cleaning the casks inside and out. It looks like we will start harvesting on September 15. The Saar, which is farther south and higher up than the Middle Mosel, appears to be affected even more by the severe drought conditions. Young vines in well-drained, drought-prone sites have suffered the most. But the recent rains should help somewhat.
Thanks for chiming in Lars, I was hoping you would!
I was also hoping the Saar would do better in the heat but even if it may have, drought still takes its toll.
Please keep us updated on how the harvest plays out and grapes go to press.
My pleasure, William! The extreme drought in Europe this summer has had a severe impact on nature, but the cumulative lack of water over the last decade or so has had an even greater impact. Old vines generally fare much better in such years.
On Saturday, we will start harvesting the upper part of the Pinot Blanc vineyard on the south-facing slope below the winery. These are old vines, and the upper part is slightly more vigorous than the lower part. It will likely be used for the Falkenstein Pet Nat. The main harvest will begin in mid-September.
Historically, when I read about hot vintages in Germany, I head to the Saar and the Ruwer because the wines there tend to retain acidity. For example, Grunhaus’ wines were outstanding in 1989. Drought could make that different?
The Saar and Ruwer should have plenty of acidity. I can tell you more about that once we start harvesting the grapes.
This morning, we harvested the whole block of old Pinot Blanc vines at Falkenstein in perfect weather. The must weight was about 90 degrees Oechsle with 8.5 g/l TA. That’s perfectly ripe with excellent acidity.