2010 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage

A cool, wet spring reduced yields across most of western Europe in 2010. In Germany, many vines suffered coulure or millerandage during spring flowering, and Norbert Weber, president of the German Winegrowers' Association, put the poor fruit set mainly down to very cool temperatures during flowering. Wet weather in August triggered botrytis, and conscientious growers removed some bunches just before harvest so the rest could ripen fully and stay healthy. Extreme August weather made strongly selective picking necessary, and hailstorms caused further losses in some German regions. A golden October followed, when late-ripening varieties such as Riesling could still soak up plenty of sun. Cool, dry winds at the start of the harvest in early October dehydrated the grapes slightly, and acidity was naturally high because of the cool weather leading up to the harvest. German yields were down by 20 percent in some vineyards and by as much as 60 percent in others, and the DWI estimated the national crop at about 7 million hectoliters, the smallest in 25 years.

• Cool, wet spring across much of western Europe; coulure and millerandage at German flowering
• Wet August triggered botrytis in Germany; hail caused losses in some German regions
• A golden October helped late-ripening Riesling; cool, dry winds as harvest began in early October
• Germany's crop about 7 million hl, the smallest in 25 years

German quality in 2010 was rated good, Vinum reported, with about a quarter of the total harvest reaching Pradikat level. The clean botrytis gave some Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese selections, and Weber cited Trockenbeerenauslesen picked with record must weights of over 250 degrees Oechsle, though he expected few producers to risk leaving grapes out for Eiswein given the small crop. In the Pfalz, Rainer Lingenfelder picked over four weeks from 13 September to 9 October, and his acidity levels were all over 10 grams per liter. In the Rheingau, Schloss Johannisberg made Riesling at every level from QbA to TBA except Eiswein, and estate director Christian Witte said quantities there ran 15 to 60 percent below a regular harvest. Europe-wide, the forecast was 165.5 million hectoliters, 6 percent below the five-year mean.

• About a quarter of Germany's harvest reached Pradikat level
• Weber cited Trockenbeerenauslesen with record must weights over 250 degrees Oechsle and expected little Eiswein
• Pfalz: Lingenfelder picked 13 September to 9 October, with acidity all over 10 g/l
• Rheingau: quantities 15 to 60 percent below a regular harvest, Witte said

Nik Weis, proprietor of St.-Urbans-Hof, said he was not concerned about the acidity in his young wines: "Thanks to the enormous concentration of the juice and the good ripeness, the sensory impression is very good". Annegret Reh-Gartner, owner of Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, described the work behind the crop: "We divided clusters in July, conducted a green harvest in August, removed foliage from the shady side of vines, and did everything possible to help prevent fungus infestation". She added, "It's precisely years like this that confirm the importance of selective harvesting by hand in steep sites."

• Nik Weis (St.-Urbans-Hof): high acidity balanced by concentration and good ripeness
• Annegret Reh-Gartner (Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt): cluster division in July, green harvest in August, leaf removal
• Reh-Gartner said the year confirmed the importance of selective hand harvesting in steep sites

The 2010 wines were, overall, slimmer than the 2009s. Weber said the white wines showed typical fresh fruit and lively zest, and that good water and nutrient supply made them very rich in extract (translated from the German). Wine Spectator expected quality to be variable but with good potential, and wrote that the low yield would give the Rieslings density to buffer the high acidity. Weis said, "With this amount of concentration in combination with a high but ripe acidity I believe they will age forever."

• Slimmer than 2009 overall, with fresh fruit and high extract, Weber said
• Wine Spectator expected variable quality with good potential
• Low yields gave the Rieslings density to buffer high acidity, Wine Spectator wrote