Vintners in the North anticipate a promising vintage, defying adversity brought on by exceptional climatic conditions
Schloss Rattey Vineyard, the largest vineyard in North Germany, is gearing up for its annual harvest, which is scheduled to begin in the second week of September. This year's harvest is expected to be better than the previous two years, with an estimated yield of around 100,000 liters of must.
Located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the vineyard spans almost half of the total vineyard area in the region, surpassing 36 hectares in 2024. The vineyard is renowned for producing a variety of wines, including dry, off-dry, sweet, and sparkling Mecklenburgian land wines.
In a significant development, Schloss Rattey Vineyard has recently installed a de-alcoholization plant, allowing them to produce alcohol-free wine, secco, and sparkling wine. This move makes Schloss Rattey one of the few vineyards in Germany to offer alcohol-free options to its customers.
The first grape of the current vintage, Solaris, was harvested on August 27. A portion of the harvested Solaris grapes will be used for the Federweißer, a local specialty in Germany. Wine lovers can enjoy the Federweißer sparkling must in Rattey in the coming days.
In addition to wines and alcohol-free options, Schloss Rattey also produces other products such as Verjus, traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wine, pomace wine, and wine brandy.
However, climate change poses a challenge to the winemakers. While it benefits wine growing in the north, weather extremes, including late frosts, can cause concern. This year, late frosts occurred in April and May, but the damage was less severe compared to last year.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania leads among the northern federal states in vineyard area, with a total vineyard area of 42 hectares. In comparison, Schleswig-Holstein, Nordrhein-Westfalen, and Niedersachsen have not explicitly provided specific hectare vineyard areas for the year 2024.
Last year, the yield at Schloss Rattey was around 80,000 liters of grape juice. While no specific information about the expected yield or comparison to previous years was provided in this paragraph, the vineyard is optimistic about this year's harvest.
Sixteen different grape varieties are cultivated in Schloss Rattey, most of which are future varieties resistant to fungus. A total of eleven white and five red grape varieties will be harvested and processed.
As the harvest season approaches, Schloss Rattey Vineyard is ready to offer a bountiful selection of wines and alcohol-free options to wine enthusiasts.
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