29. November 2012 - The VDP Prädikat Wine Estates are consistently satisfied with the 2012 vintage and expect good to very good wine qualities
Harvest good, all good? What the 2012 vintage brought to the cellars of the VDP Prädikatsweingüter in terms of quality is not only the result of a capricious weather year, but also of quality work consistently done in the vineyards throughout the year. "We have no influence on the weather and its capers, which turn out differently in the different wine-growing regions. Nature cannot be subjected to any rules, not even those of the VDP. But the quality philosophy of the VDP starts with the right and appropriate actions and reactions in the vineyard to the climatic peculiarities typical for the year", Steffen Christmann, president of the VDP Prädikatweingüter, states. "And this is where the VDP vintners in all areas are doing excellent and exemplary work. The market can look forward to a wide range of first-class wines from 2012", the president continues.
If you look at the whole weather course of the year from the point of view of the meteorologists of the German Weather Service (DWD), 2012 started with a wet and relatively mild winter, despite a severe cold period at the beginning of February. This was followed by a picture-book spring with little precipitation, lots of warmth and sunshine, and it was not until the beginning of April and into May that striking temperature jumps between warm and cold were measured. As in the previous year, the average summer, which felt moderate, began rather changeably with sunshine, rain showers and thunderstorms in June and July. It was not until August that real summery feelings emerged, the month showing itself with dry and sunny weather and sometimes extremely high temperatures. September was changeable, but still relatively dry and sunny, before windy, cool and unsettled weather ushered in October. In the second half of the month, plenty of sunshine made for almost summer-like temperatures, yet October was cooler than usual on average. November was in the average pendulum, wet cold, cloudy and with isolated snowfalls in the highlands, the penultimate month of the year shows its usual face.
As different as the weather was in the individual German regions in 2012, and the wine-growing regions are in their geographical structure and grape variety, the assessments of the current vintage in 2012 are also different.
In the Ahr region, this year's harvest is clearly below expectations due to a cool phase during the blossoming and the resulting trickling of the grapes. Fortunately, the rest of the vegetation period was optimal, so that the vintners could be happy about a fully ripe and healthy grape material. All quality levels are consistently occupied and especially in the segment of the VDP.GROSSEN LAGE first-class wines are to be expected. The young wines from exposed sites already present themselves with sparkling clean fruit and show a fine, ele- gant minerality.
Hans-Jörg Lüchau | Weingut Deutzerhof
"We started a little later this year and will also finish a little later. However, we made up a bit of time because at least 30% less was hanging on the vine. In addition, the grapes are very healthy and therefore not much sorting is needed. But the quality is extraordinarily good. The young wine is deep-dark. It promises to be a special vintage again."
On the Mosel, the harvest began in mid-October, even in the classic Riesling region, the vintners had to accept harvest losses. What was harvested was of healthy and best aromatic quality, high must weights and a racy, refreshing acidity guarantee good to very good Rieslings in all quality levels, in addition to clean fruit aromas and an expressive minerality. On the Saar and Ruwer, the harvest was also well below average, but the grapes were of the best ripeness and fruit concentration. Thus, exciting and exceptionally aromatic 2012 wines can also be expected from the two small wine-growing regions.
The vintners from the Middle Rhine had to cope with extreme weather conditions in 2012. Frost damage in all Burundian varieties and poor blossoming conditions in the wet early summer required intensive and elaborate vineyard care. At harvest time, which began in good weather on October 10, concentrated Burgundy qualities from healthy grapes could be harvested, albeit in extremely small quantities. The vintners had fewer quantity cuts with the Rieslings. The young wines already show beautiful and clean fruit aromas and a captivating minerality.
The vintners from the Nahe region had to put up with a cold snap during the blossoming of the vines, but the further course of vegetation brought extremely healthy grapes to the autumn. However, the harvest quantity in some wineries, especially for Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, is clearly below the average of the past years. The grape harvest in the small wine-growing region began in mid-October and brought ripe, aromatic grapes with perfect acidity values, especially in the leading variety Riesling, which guarantee exciting wines.
There are also healthy and ripe grapes to report from Rheinhessen after a sunny and dry September, which gave the grapes the final touch. Silvaner and Burgundy could already be harvested at the beginning of October, the ripe and aromatic Riesling grapes followed at the end of the month. First-class wines in the storage segment and good and solid wines in the basic range, whose quality is above average, are expected. The VDP vintners in Franconia are looking forward to a fortunate course of vegetation without winter frost and hail damage, a largely healthy grape crop gives hope for good wine qualities. The early harvest in good autumn weather - according to the temperature total, the current vintage comes right after the super year 2003 - began with Bacchus and the Burgundy varieties. The Silvaner and Riesling grapes, which were harvested almost exclusively in the Prädikat range, were in excellent shape. Powerful, yet fruity and brilliantly elegant wines are expected. After a relatively early start to Riesling blossoming in the Rheingau, the cool blossoming weather that set in contributed to a more heavily trickled blossom. Midsummer weather in July and August, as well as a warm September, allowed healthy grapes with a high degree of ripeness to grow. Cooler nights preserved good acidity levels, so that the grapes were in perfect condition at the beginning of October and harvesting could begin with the Riesling grapes in the best physiological state of ripeness. Thus, for the estate and local wines as well as for the dry and residual sweet top wines from VDP. ERSTEN and VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN extremely flavorful grapes with a ripe, harmonious acidity were harvested. The yield shows clear differences between different locations in the Rheingau, but will settle in the long-term average.
Dieter Greiner | Hess. Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach | Rheingau & Hess. Bergstrasse "An excellent vintage for Riesling on the Bergstrasse and in the Rheingau. The trickling at blossom has only produced a medium hanging and loosely berried grapes, which can now remain healthy on the vine for a long time and mature without the must weights becoming too high. The botrytis that sometimes appears on compact grapes is 100% clean botrytis."
Winemakers in the Palatinate are reporting consistently healthy grapes and decent must weights after a few weather capers throughout the year. Varying degrees of ripeness made several harvesting passes necessary, but in the end the time-consuming manual work paid off. The young wines, Burgundy varieties as well as Rieslings, show a high quality level and will go down in the annals of harvest records as powerful, aromatic and at the same time finesse-rich and elegant wines.
Low yields, partly caused by hail damage, are also to be reported from the third largest wine-growing region. The harvest in Baden still started relaxed, only in the second half, the pressure in individual plots increased due to precipitation. Healthy grapes with good must weights characterize the appearance of the vintage. In order to be able to harvest extraordinary qualities, a staggered harvest was indispensable. The vintage seems very homogeneous through all grape varieties, the young wines from VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN already present themselves rich in finesse and impress with a powerful, but very balanced fruit body
Moderate and with few weather caprices, the weather in the Württemberg growing region presented itself. Nevertheless, the harvest yields were also below the long-term average. However, the grapes harvested with optimal must weights were of the best aroma and healthy throughout. Especially Lemberger and Burgundy grapes are of outstanding quality and give reason to hope for corresponding wine qualities. The young wines are already full-bodied and juicy and promise a promising future.
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