The wine region in Saxony is known for its elegant white wines. But the dry weather means that the winegrowers are concerned about this year's harvest.
Dresden (dpa/sn) - Saxon winegrowers are expecting a lower harvest this year than in previous years. "It's unusually dry, it's unusually hot, and half the annual rainfall is already missing," said Felix Hößelbarth, chairman of the Saxony Winegrowers' Association of the German Press Agency. Accordingly, 300 liters of precipitation per square meter were missing. Should the drought continue, the winegrowers would not harvest over 2.5 million liters of wine, as in good years, but only 2.1 to 2.3 million, as in the past dry years.
According to the Winegrowers' Association, April and May were too dry, and June and July were not more productive either. Young vineyards and vines on steep slopes are particularly affected by the climate. They were suffering from drought stress, which means they are not growing any further. If it stays this dry, 2022 will again be a good vintage for red wine and a bad one for white wine. The Saxon wine-growing region is actually more known for its elegant white wines. "That's our strength," said Hößelbarth, who is the cellar master at the Hoflößnitz winery in Radebeul.
The Schloß Proschwitz winery in Meißen also complained about too little precipitation. Since the end of May there has been eight liters of rain per square meter, about a fifth or a sixth of the long-term average, said field manager Björn Probst. The older vines are still doing well thanks to the extremely wet year 2021, while the younger vines are already suffering from a severe lack of water. In order to protect the plants, the number of grapes on the young vines is reduced by up to 60 percent and by up to 30 percent on the older ones.
In addition to the low rainfall last week, there was also the heat, which caused grape sunburn on the vines, which had been stressed out by drought. Many grapes were burned and dried up by the heat. Nevertheless, Probst was hopeful: If there were to be precipitation soon (three times 20 liters per square meter would be ideal according to Probst), this year could still be a high-quality vintage with wines typical of the variety, said the winemaker.
The Saxon State Winery Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul stated that it was still too early for a reliable forecast. The grape harvest begins in August - a lot could happen before then. However, the dry and hot weather this year is reminiscent of the years 2018 and 2019 and gives hope for a new vintage with top red wine from Saxony.
The State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology initially gave no forecast for this year's harvest. "This year's wine year has not yet been decided," said the authority on request. According to the state office, there were a good 1,500 winegrowers in Saxony last year who grew wine on 480 hectares. White grape varieties still dominate in the region (82 percent), with Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Blanc growing in Saxony in particular.
