Franconia's fall results - A lot of work and not much wine

All is well that ends well? There is still some bad news, since the winemaker's result for this year is: A lot of work but not much wine. "We have not seen this low amount of wine since 1985", says Steinmann. "Compared to the long-term mediocre results, we have picked around 100.000 to 120.000 hecto liters less. We are estimating this year's wine must at approximately 340.000 hectoliters. However, we are really proud of the quality of the wines. On average, about 58 hectoliters per hectar with an average must weight of 84 degrees Oechsle were picked. About 50 to 60 percent of the wine must is ideal for Praedikat wines".

Dr. Hermann Kolesch from the Bavarian Institute for Viticulture and Gardening (LWG) looked back on "a vintage in the sun and the dark". First, there was a long winter and then a cold spring. Late frosts and an unpleasant blossom weather caused the first yield decreases. Then, after extreme heat in July, August was full of rain (Würzburg: 185 mm/m2).  "Such high amounts of rain in August have not been seen before", says Kolesch. The following decomposing forced winemakers in many places to start the picking sooner than usual. "We absolutely had to start our pickings earlier this year. We had to sort through rotten and green grapes. It was a very expensive picking with a lot of work involved and all that with a low outcome of wines", explains Kolesch.

Hermann Mengler, consultant for cellar economy at the district Lower Franconia, describes the wine vintage 2010 as "technical and honest". In his opinion, the vintage 2010 is sending a clear message: "Trees don't grow up to heaven. We depend on nature. Such a vintage would have been a catastrophe back then, but today our vintners know what to do about it". The first 2010 wines are very "lively, not very opulent, but with clear fruit content". Mengler claims that Silvaner is the winner of the year. This wine was able to fully take advantage of the nice days in October so that it can be expected to have a Praedikat wine content of 80 percent.

Friends of Franconian wine will have to pay a little more in the future. "Our winemakers are hoping that consumers are prepared to spend a little more for their bottle of wine. We have managed to not increase our prices by much in the past years, despite increased production cost. Now, however, we won't be able to keep the prices that low. Most likely, we are looking at a price increase of five to ten percent", says Viticultur President Steinmann. (red.yoopress)