From vineyard to cellar October 2013

It's too soon to tell just how much damage the rain has caused. But there is damage in any case. A couple of days ago it was just a bit too warm and that's not good. In some cases, I'm seeing burst berries and increasing rot. Unfortunately, more rain is forecast for the end of this week. The fact is that those who didn't properly manage their foliage most certainly have a problem now. Yet it's equally true that those who removed too many leaves too soon are also facing a difficult situation. It's all turning out just as I predicted weeks ago: we'll have to fight for every additional degree of ripeness.

 

 

By and large, I'm still reasonably calm and relaxed.We did our homework and there's no reason to panic. Our Riesling grapes still have a relatively high acidity, but for the most part, they're also still healthy nearly everywhere. For this reason, I see no need to harvest Riesling at the moment, even though some have already started to do so. Uncertainty can be felt everywhere. At this point in time, I don't see us picking much Riesling even on 14 October. I rather assume that between 21 and 28 October we'll be harvesting in high gear. That would be my bet.

 

 

The middle of this week, we picked Portugieser and Dornfelder. Yes, they grow here, too. The Dornfelder grapes had 87 degrees Oechsle - a fantastic figure. Portugieser clocked in with 80 degrees. Both had acidity levels of about eight grams per liter. These are quite satisfactory values. The quantity was also decent and the grapes tasted good. The first Müller-Thurgau grapes have just been pressed, and here, too, everything was just right. All in all, this is a good sign for the coming harvest.

 

 

In general, the grapes - including the Rieslings - taste quite good. Despite the high acidity. I've also heard from some who have already picked their crop that the tartaric acid values are quite high. This means that we don't have to worry about an "unripe" year like 2010. I'm very relieved about that. Time will tell how everything actually turns out. In any case, I'm looking forward to the harvest. No matter what, it's the best time of the year. And here at our estate, effective immediately, the motto of the day is: "Yes, we can."