German Wine Vintage 2007 – Excellent Qualities and Good Yields

Von: DWI

MAINZ, Germany. Thanks to early bud burst and optimal autumn weather, German wine grapes had an unusually long growing season in 2007. This year’s harvest was relatively unhurried and took place over several weeks. Grape musts and young wines are showing well, with a fabulous wealth of aromas, high ripeness and extract levels, and a well-integrated, harmonious – yet marked – acidity.

Hessische Bergstrasse

The Hessische Bergstrasse, Germany’s second smallest wine region, is known above all for its Rieslings, but other varieties are at home there, too.

At the end of August, for example, the Frühburgunder harvest began. In  mid-October, after the Riesling harvest, the last Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were gathered. Growers willing to postpone the start of their harvest were able to achieve considerably higher qualities, particularly with their Riesling grapes.

For the first time, red Riesling was harvested. This rarity is believed to be a forerunner of the white Riesling we know today. Spätburgunder must weights were remarkably high. Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) required a very selective harvest and yields were disappointingly low. Overall, the crop was a good 35,000 hl, with an average yield of 85 hl/ha – significantly more than in 2006, when quantities barely met supply.

For this reason, the first bottlings of 2007 are expected on the market in early November.

Mittelrhein

The harvest in the Mittelrhein began in mid-September with a few early-ripening varieties, but the main harvest didn’t end until the last week of October. Both quantity and quality are remarkable in this Riesling region.

The overall yield is somewhat above the long-term average and considerably above the year before. In all, some 40,000 hl are expected, equal to a yield of 90 hl/ha. Riesling, in particular, benefited from the long growing season, with optimal proportions of sugar (average of 100 degrees Oechsle) to acidity.

Red grapes, such as Spätburgunder, were also harvested in a healthy state, at up to 100 degrees Oechsle, with a slightly higher acidity than the year before.