Ice -harvesting 2024: Winemakers fight against the effects of climate change!
Ice -harvesting 2024: Winemakers fight against the effects of climate change!
Winner in Germany harvested the ice wine of the 2024 vintage on a frosty full moon night. This includes a Silvan ice wine from Rheinhessen as well as Riesling and Souvignier Gris, a promising new variety. This harvest took place under special circumstances, since ice wine can only be harvested at temperatures of at least -7 degrees Celsius. The frozen grapes must be fetched directly from the vine and pressed immediately to keep the high -quality ingredients and the high degree of acid. In Rhineland-Palatinate there was only 42 hectares for the 2024 vintage, which were available for the ice wine harrow, which underlines the rarity of this specialty.
The Heymanns winery in Edenkoben recorded an impressive sugar content of 130 degrees Oechsle at the frozen Riesling grapes. A Silvaner ice wine in Rheinhessen was also read on January 13th. In the Baden region, the Löffler winery received Gutedel-Eiswein, while the Doreas winery in the Remstal was able to produce a small amount of Riesling ice wine. The newer grape variety Souvignier Gris has the potential to make a valuable contribution to ice wine production because it is resistant to putrefaction.
historical roots and modern challenges
ice wine has a long tradition that goes back to 44 AD when the Roman natural scientist Plinius reported on this specialty. In modern viticulture, ice wine was rediscovered in Rheinhessen in 1830 when winemakers in Dromersheim accidentally found that frozen grapes result in sweet must. At the latest since the German Wine Law of 1982, Eiswein has been an independent predicate level with a minimum must weight of 110 to 128 degrees Oechsle.
The production of ice wine is increasingly difficult by climate change. In recent years, the opportunity for the ice wine harvest has often been limited to only one night a year. The effects of extreme weather conditions and the threat of fungal diseases due to wet summers represent additional challenges. The summer of 2024 was particularly critical, with a massive fungal attack that was favored by the high humidity and temperature.
change in wine production
In order to counteract the risks of climate change and fungal infection, more and more winegrowers are relying on new breeds that are capable of mushrooms, known as Piwi vines. These varieties, which also include the Souvignier GRIS, require up to 80% fewer pesticides. The winemaker Martin Koch from the Rheinhessische Hügelland has had positive experiences with the MONARK variety and was able to significantly reduce the number of the required sprays.
It is predicted that the proportion of PiWi vines could increase to 5-15% of the total vineyard within the next ten years. This adaptation strategy could lead to a rethink in the wine industry, especially considering the increased risks from climate change. The proportion of mushroom -resistant grape varieties in Germany is currently around 3%, but the robustness of these varieties is already evident in the challenging conditions of summer 2024.
In summary, it can be said that the ice wine of the 2024 is not only a product of traditional wine -growing art, but also gains a new meaning under the current climatic and ecological challenges. The efforts for sustainable and resistant wine production are more important than ever in order to ensure the quality and diversity of German wine culture.For more information about the challenges of viticulture through climate change, interested parties can visit and about the current developments in the industry on tagesschau.de . For a detailed overview of ice wine and its history, the article on Mainzund.de
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Quellen | |