German wine producers could well be bringing in the smallest harvest in the past 25 years this year, and prices are predicted to rise slightly, according to recent reports.

The German Wine Institute has announced that the volume of this year’s harvest is predicted to be around seven million hectolitres, equivalent to three-quarters of last year’s volume.

“The reason for the exceptionally low yield can be found in the low rate of fruit set, brought about by very cool temperatures during flowering”, explained Norbert Weber, the president of the German viticultural association.

Additionally, measures taken to ensure high quality, such as rigorous selection during the harvest, has also resulted in a reduction of the yield. This was necessitated by the extremely cool and damp weather experienced in August in order to harvest the healthiest grapes possible. In some regions hailstorms led to further destruction of crops.

A golden October, however, gave late-ripening grapes such as the Riesling, the Silvaner and the Pinots an opportunity to soak up the sunshine.

The 2010 vintage wines will therefore probably be less full-bodied than those of previous years. In terms of quality, the 2010 vintage is said to be “good around one-quarter of the total volume will be of Pradikat level. Mr Weber said: ”This year’s white wines are characterised by the typical fresh fruitiness and freshness which is so highly esteemed both here and abroad.

“The red wines will not be a disappointment to the wine lovers, either. They can look forward to first-class noble sweet wine specialities from this vintage year. Sweet dessert wines – Trockenbeerenauslese – with record high densities were harvested,” he emphasised.

In view of the reduced volume of the harvest, he assumes that not many winegrowers will take the risk of leaving the grapes on the vine in order to produce Eiswein this year.