He who praises the day before the evening…

Do you remember how we raved about the sensational year 2025 a few weeks ago ? No frost, rain, and sunshine in a wonderful alternation – everything's perfect! We already knew that this year's yield would be about 20% lower than average because the flowering period was prolonged and there was a minor cold snap that meant not all the flowers were pollinated .

On the other hand, we didn't think that was such a problem, because this year's grapes grew more "loosely" (i.e., with a bit more space between the bunches). This ensures good ventilation and prevents fungal infestation. And at the same time, as we wrote in a previous newsletter, the market is currently full of wine – quality counts more than quantity . And it was impressive! We were very pleased with our vineyards.

This was true until mid-August.

Then the weather in our local microclimate suddenly took a turn for the worse, becoming mixed, and it rained too much for our already plump grapes. We became increasingly nervous. Too much moisture, even with the loosest berries, causes mold, and that could quickly lead to the loss of our entire harvest. At the same time, we can't frantically pluck the grapes from the vine before they're even fully ripe.

The grape juice harvest

The harvest begins every year with the grape juice. This year, 2025, we kicked off on August 25th —earlier than ever before in our (documented) history. Just for comparison: our grandfather always started the harvest in October (climate change says hello).

For our grape juice, we carefully fermented grapes from the Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, and Regent varieties before they produce too much fructose and later become too sweet. Our stated goal: 0% alcohol with the ultimate fruit flavor! That's why we bottle our juices "cold-sterile." ( We explained this in more detail here .) For this reason, our grape juice is always available in very limited quantities and only while supplies last! When you try it, you'll notice that it tastes much more intense than juice made from juice concentrate.

Here you can find our 2025 red and white grape juice for ordering and tasting.

The grape harvest

With a watchful eye on the sky, we galloped from the grape juice harvest straight into the wine harvest. And then it happened – on September 9th, the heavens opened. Over 30 liters of rain poured down in two hours, torrential rain that lasted until the power even went out (twice within a week, for several hours...). The harvest team sat despondently in the winery, their clothes dripping wet, because working in the vineyards is impossible in such heavy rain. And our harvest suffered real damage... because the plump grapes were literally bombarded by the rain, causing their skins to burst.

Photo: Müller-Thurgau 2025

This immediately began a massive race against time. Completely unprotected, the grapes are vulnerable to mold spores and the non-native spotted wing drosophila " Drosophila suzukii " ( we've already mentioned it ). The latter thrives in cold, wet weather and reproduces rapidly, producing several generations per week. It normally prefers red grapes with soft skin (such as Dornfelder and Saint Laurent). But when the skin is open, it goes wild.

Of course, we try to contain them, preferably with natural enemies. These include earwigs, parasitic wasps, and bugs. Unfortunately, these are omnivores and not only eat each other, but also our fruit. A quick digression: The only beneficial insects we absolutely love are ladybugs. They eat aphids, not grapes. Great creatures! ;-) You can even order these adorable little beetles alive online. But we haven't had to do that yet, because they come to the Palatinate on their own. But back to the 2025 harvest.

Now it's time to work flat out, fully focused, and around the clock to get our harvest under control before it's too late. At the same time, the Weyher Wine Festival, one of our highlights of the year, is taking place. We wish we could clone ourselves to handle this double wopper. But that's the life of a winemaker—we depend on nature, it dictates, we jump.

One thought keeps us going: By Thanksgiving in October, we'll have long since finished the harvest and will be able to relax and enjoy onion cake and new wine, as well as freshly bottled grape juice and last year's single -vineyard Rieslings that are finally ripening!

Photo: Cellar master Peter highly concentrated in his element

But until then, we still have a lot of hard work and sleepless nights ahead of us! Senior partner Otmar has the harvest team and our vineyards fully under control. And our cellar master Peter is demonstrating his expertise and craftsmanship more than ever, especially in such a challenging year. We'll let you know in a few weeks whether and how the 2025 vintage turned out.

Stay tuned!

The aroma of the already harvested grapes in our wine cellar makes our winegrowers' hearts beat faster.

Your round-the-clock harvesting counts

PS We promised you an update on the customs drama . An agreement was reached with the USA, and since August 7, tariffs on wine have been raised to 15% across the board. We will monitor the effects. One thing is certain: this will not make the already difficult situation any easier. An interesting side effect: Canada is rapidly rising as an importer of German wine. Until now, Canada often sourced through the USA for convenience. Now Germany is shipping directly. And we're celebrating that, since our Kristine is from Canada.