The grape harvest in Saxony and the Saale-Unstrut region is slowly coming to an end. The wineries are satisfied with the quantity and quality of the harvest so far.
Most of the grapes have already been harvested at the Schloss Proschwitz winery near Meißen. According to the winery, the yield is almost 500,000 kilograms - around 25 percent above average. Half a hectare of Riesling grapes are still hanging and are being covered with nets for protection. Ice wine is to be made from these berries.
The harvest began at the end of August. The good water supply and hot summer days led to an early start to the harvest. Around 60 percent of the area had already been harvested by mid-September. However, rainfall then postponed the end of the season.
According to spokesman Martin Junge, around 80 percent of the vineyards at the Saxon State Winery Schloss Wackerbarth have currently been harvested. The harvest is expected to be completed by mid-October. "So far, we are satisfied with both quantity and quality," says Junge. However, a final assessment can only be made after the end of the harvest.
Of the 13 German wine regions, the Saxony wine-growing region is one of the smallest. The wine region stretches along the Elbe from Pirna via Dresden, Radebeul and Meißen to Diesbar-Seußlitz northwest of Meißen.
In Saxony, wine is grown on around 500 hectares - mainly white wine. Just under 20 percent of the area is reserved for red wines. The main grape varieties are Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Traminer, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder.
The grape harvest in the Saale-Unstrut region is likely to last a little longer than in Saxony. According to the managing director of the Freyburg-Unstrut winegrowers' association, Hartmut Schreiter, around 60 percent of the harvest has been brought in. The harvest will probably last until the end of October. "It will be a large harvest of good to very good quality - excellent quality for the noble grape varieties," said Schreiter.
Founded in 1934, the Freyburg-Unstrut winegrowers' association says it currently has 322 winegrowers who cultivate around 390 hectares in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. This is around half of the vineyards in the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region.
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