In Germany, winegrowers have begun harvesting grapes unusually early—earlier than ever since regular observations began. The reason is a long and hot summer: the grapes ripened several weeks earlier than usual, UNN reports, citing DW.
"Some winegrowers even had to interrupt their vacations because of this," Ernst Büscher, a representative of the German Wine Institute, told Tagesschau on the ARD television channel.
Just a few decades ago, September was the main month for harvesting grapes. Now the timing is constantly shifting. Winegrower Simon Schreiber recalls: "When I began my training in 2010, the harvest took place in the middle or at the end of September. And now it is in mid-August!"
The heat is changing not only the winegrowers' calendar but also the wine itself. The more sun, the more sugar accumulates in the grapes, making the wine stronger. And that is not exactly what the market wants at present: buyers are increasingly choosing lighter wines with lower alcohol content. In addition, intense heat can cause grapes to lose some of the acidity characteristic of German wines.
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Nevertheless, winegrowers hope that the 2026 harvest will be good in terms of quality. However, there will most likely be noticeably fewer grapes. Due to the drought, the berries remained small in many regions. Winegrower Johannes Kopp from Sinsheim says that his farm expects around 30% fewer grapes than usual.
This is particularly unpleasant for the industry: winegrowers' costs are rising, while buyers are not prepared to pay much more for a bottle. According to ARD, five euros remains a psychological threshold for many supermarket shoppers. Thus, the current season has turned out to be paradoxical: the grapes ripened record early—but there may be less wine itself.
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