Winegrowers in Saxony confident about the 2025 vintage

After the disastrous year 2024 with severe frost damage, winegrowers in Saxony are looking forward to the next grape harvest in the fall with confidence. The grapes have developed well and there have been no extreme weather events so far this year. This was the result of an inquiry by the German Press Agency to various producers in Germany's smallest wine-growing region. The grape harvest begins at the end of August.

Good harvest in sight

"Things are looking really good at the moment. There is a lot hanging on the mountain and the grapes are also healthy," said Lutz Krüger, head of Saxony's largest wine producer, the Meißen Winegrowers' Cooperative. With 145 hectares, it manages around a third of the cultivation area in Saxony.

"The basic grape yield is really good," reported Björn Probst, operations manager of the Schloss Proschwitz winery. The heatwave at the end of June and beginning of July did little to harm the vines. "We had good flowering and thanks to intensive soil measures, we got through the heat very well - except in young vineyards."

According to Probst, Schloss Proschwitz owns around 75 hectares of land. The ten main grape varieties there include Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. In addition, there are classics such as Riesling and the Saxon specialties Elbling and Goldriesling.

Only a quarter of the usual yield in 2024

Last year, winegrowers in Saxony suffered heavy yield losses due to frost in spring. According to Probst, Schloss Proschwitz only produced 23 percent of the usual volume.

The situation at the Schloss Wackerbarth state winery was similar, with 25 percent of the usual yield. "The extreme event of 2024 hit us hard," said master winemaker Till Neumeister. "But every year is a new opportunity."

With its 90 hectares of vineyards, Schloss Wackerbarth is also confident about this year's season. "We are currently hearing a very optimistic mood, including from our colleagues," said Neumeister. "The vines have also recovered well from the shock of 2024."

Wanted weather without extremes

All winegrowers have the same wish for the remaining weeks until the start of the harvest: weather that is as calm as possible without extremes. "Our ideal weather would be moderate temperatures of around 25 degrees for a very continuous ripening phase," said Neumeister.

Lutz Krüger, head of the winegrowers' cooperative, said that there just shouldn't be any hail. "And not quite as much water either, so that the grapes don't get too big."