After the night frosts: how Saxony's winegrowers are doing now

Meissen/Radebeul/Dresden. Despite all efforts after the overnight frost in April, 2024 is not a good year for winegrowing in Saxony. "But everyone will be able to reap some kind of small harvest," says Felix Hößelbarth, Chairman of the Saxony Winegrowers' Association.

The "green wall of foliage" of the vineyards in the Elbe Valley belies the fact that there are "significantly fewer grapes on the vines than in normal years". This also applies to areas that the frost did not reach or that were protected by fire. "The bottom line is that we are expecting a very, very small harvest."

The head of the association expects that only 20 to 30 percent of a normal harvest will end up in the cellars. And in addition to investing in the maintenance and care of the facilities for the next season, the harvest also means additional work.

"There are years when everything comes together: late frosts, then too cold and wet weather at flowering time, which was very unfavorable for the grapes that had just sprouted," reports Hößelbarth. "Only some of the blossoms actually turned into berries."

Adverse conditions even after the frost

Warm and humid weather in June/July with small hailstorms, the first berries ripening "incredibly early", wasps and insects eating the grapes, "none of this is something to shout about," says Hößelbarth, describing the mood among the winegrowers. There is hope that the vines in most of the vineyards have enough reserves. If nothing goes wrong next year, the next season could be a normal one again. "And we're lucky that we have two big harvests before that; now the trick is how to get beyond 2025." By slowing down sales or bottling the next vintage earlier, it could be possible to "elegantly plug the resulting hole".

"Maintaining the cultural landscape is a long-term task and can survive a lower yield year if winegrowers, guests and politicians stand together," says Radebeul winegrower Karl Friedrich Aust. He was able to protect his local mountain with fire and save a lot of core area. "We have good cards there." Overall, he estimates 61 percent damage - and every week, every month is more of a challenge, "until the harvest". The investment in frost candles or a few meters of charcoal has also prevented vines from freezing and having to be replanted. "That would be three more years without a yield."

Winegrower Klaus Zimmerling in Dresden-Pillnitz, however, is sobered by the two to four percent of his usual yield. "Almost everything has turned green again, you can see the vines, but there's nothing on them," he says. Only at the very top of the steep slope is there a small chance of ten percent. One consolation: "We're happy that we have usable wood to cut for next season and won't lose another year." To compensate for the deficit expected for 2026, he buys ready-made bottled wine from a winery in the Palatinate. Other winegrowers rely on grapes from other growing regions "and use them to create new and interesting cuvées," reports his colleague Aust.

There are also far fewer grapes than usual at the Schloss Wackerbarth state winery, on rescued and re-shoots. "There will be a grape harvest, but with a significantly reduced quantity," says spokesman Martin Junge. The losses vary depending on the location and grape variety. The state winegrowers are now also very busy, having to cut back damaged shoots, and the different stages of development of the grapes are also making significantly more work. Different generations with different ripening times on the vines require several harvests or selection beforehand.

Frost aid from the state and federal government also for Saxony's winegrowers

At the end of May, the winegrowers' association estimated the loss of yield due to frozen shoots in the Elbe Valley at around 34 million euros. Depending on the location and grape variety, it assumed a loss of 83 percent, from grape cultivation to wine production and marketing.

At the beginning of June, the Saxon cabinet released up to 22 million euros in funding for the major damage in fruit and winegrowing, and applications should be possible from the end of September, as the Ministry of Agriculture in Dresden announced on request. The federal government also wants to support the affected federal states and has applied to the EU Commission for emergency financial aid from the agricultural reserve. The process is still ongoing - it is estimated that at least 210 million to 254 million euros are involved.

Hope for a golden fall and a good wine vintage

Now everyone is hoping for a golden fall. The grapes need stable high-pressure weather, not too hot, but sunny, "and a nice country rain in between", they say in unison. It is possible that the harvest of the very early varieties will begin in the last week of August, says Hößelbarth. The question is still whether grapes from different generations will have to be harvested together or in several stages. While the last harvest was from the beginning of September to the second half of October, "as things stand today, everything could be 14 days earlier."

Winegrowers are banking on 2024 being a good year, at least in terms of quality. With greatly reduced yields, far fewer grapes will benefit from the sun and nutrients, says Hößelbarth. "It would reconcile us a little with this vintage if we could produce a few top-quality wines."

Karl Friedrich Aust reports that in the best locations, grapes even have to be cut out "to get the quality". These top fruits are very carefully protected. In 2009, when frost of minus 29.5 degrees caused only half the loss, there were also "dream wines". But, as always, the quality is only revealed "when the must is in the cellar".