2005 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage

On 31 August 2005 growers were very satisfied with the development of the crop, with growth up to ten days ahead of schedule in some regions. The crop was very healthy, and good quality and an average quantity were expected. In the Pfalz and Rheinhessen, picking of very early-ripening varieties such as Ortega, Huxel and Siegerrebe had already begun, and early varieties such as Rivaner and Portugieser were expected to follow from mid-September, depending on the weather, according to Armin Goring, the managing director of the German Wine Institute (DWI). Riesling usually ripens throughout October, so the harvest in classical Riesling regions such as the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer was not expected to begin before October. Looking back, Goring attributed the positive outcome to an extraordinarily sunny year. Sun hours from March through October exceeded the long-term average for an entire year, and the grapes ripened about two weeks ahead of schedule. Rain during the harvest in September helped speed up picking so that the grapes could be gathered while still healthy, and Franconian growers claimed it was the shortest harvest in history.

• Growth up to ten days ahead of schedule in some regions by 31 August, with a very healthy crop
• Sun hours from March through October beat the long-term average for a whole year
• Grapes ripened about two weeks ahead of schedule; September harvest rain sped up picking of healthy grapes
• Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Riesling picking was not expected to begin before October

Decanter rated Germany's 2005 vintage 4 out of 5 with a verdict of "Keep", and wrote that it was already acclaimed as exceptionally good. "This year is unique: seldom has there been such unanimous praise from all 13 wine-growing regions about the quality of the grape crop," Armin Goring, managing director of the German Wine Institute in Mainz, told the magazine. He added that the majority of must weights were of Pradikat wine quality, and some came very close to those of the 2003 vintage. Decanter's best appellations were Baden, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheinhessen, Sachsen and Wurttemberg, and its best producers for Germany were Van Volxem, St. Urbans-Hof, Muller-Scharzhof, Zilliken and Von Othegraven.

• Decanter: 4 out of 5, "Keep" (Germany)
• Unanimous praise from all 13 German wine regions, as Armin Goring of the DWI put it
• Most must weights of Pradikat wine quality, some very close to 2003
• Mosel-Saar-Ruwer among Decanter's best appellations