2022 Germany & Mosel Riesling Vintage

Germany-wide, spring was warm with no late frost damage and fast vine development, and warm days in May brought thick canopies and rapid blossoming. No late frosts and no major storms such as hail were recorded in Germany in 2022. On the steep-slope Mosel the summer was relentless, with July temperatures up to 40 degrees and a water deficit of up to 210 liters per square meter. Riesling, 61 percent of the Mosel harvest, felt it most. Young vines and vines on soils with little water storage struggled, while older vines coped well because their roots, many meters deep, could still reach water. Across Germany the summer was extremely dry and the sunniest since weather records began. Picking on the Mosel began on 20 August, an early start the DWI called possibly a record. When rain finally fell in September, it came three to four weeks too late for Riesling. Some estates picked later: at Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken the harvest only started in late September, and at Dr. Hermann in Erden picking began on 20 September with Kabinett, with a little rain in the area at the start of October. The Mosel crop was expected at 688,000 hectoliters of must, seven percent below the long-term average and six percent below the difficult, rainy 2021.

• Mosel: July temperatures up to 40 degrees; water deficit up to 210 liters per square meter
• Mosel harvest from 20 August; September rain three to four weeks too late for Riesling
• Estates: Geltz-Zilliken began in late September, Dr. Hermann in Erden on 20 September
• Mosel crop: an expected 688,000 hectoliters, 7 percent under the long-term average

Mosel Riesling reached 90 degrees Oechsle in places, but grapes of Spatlese and Auslese quality, and fruit for noble-sweet rarities, stayed the exception; most Riesling came in at 70 to 80 degrees. Pinot varieties on the Mosel averaged 85 degrees, reaching 90 and more under optimal conditions. Alcohol was moderate and market-appropriate, and acidity was uniformly low. Growers on the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer overall called it a good vintage with satisfactory quality and quantity, partly because they had first expected clearly less wine. Botrytis was present at Dr. Hermann in Erden, with an Auslese from fruit 50 percent affected by botrytis at 105 degrees Oechsle and a Beerenauslese from botrytized fruit at 138 degrees.

• Riesling: mostly 70 to 80 degrees Oechsle, 90 in places
• Spatlese and Auslese quality grapes and noble-sweet rarities were the exception
• Pinot varieties: average 85 degrees Oechsle, up to 90 and more
• Alcohol moderate; acidity uniformly low

The DWI expected light, aromatic and harmonious white wines, which make up more than 90 percent of the Mosel crop, plus color-intense reds and roses. Nationally, the young wines were slimmer than in the preceding hot years, yet highly aromatic with harmonious acidity, and September rain kept sugar levels moderate in later-ripening varieties such as Riesling. The VDP's national review expected perfect acidity levels and striking aromatics. On the Mosel, Dorothee Zilliken said the wines were already presenting magnificently and that her estate could even harvest grapes for Grosses Gewachs wines, not a given every year on the steep slopes of the Mosel.

• Mosel: light, aromatic, harmonious whites expected, over 90 percent of the crop
• Germany-wide: young wines slimmer than in the preceding hot years, yet highly aromatic
• Germany-wide: September rain kept sugar levels moderate in Riesling and other later-ripening varieties
• Geltz-Zilliken harvested grapes for Grosses Gewachs wines, not a given every year on the Mosel's steep slopes

At Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, drought stress was clearly evident in younger vines, while vines up to 130 years old reached deep-set water reserves more easily. Christian Hermann of Dr. Hermann in Erden described the season as "essentially one long dry and sunny spell from March to September." Young vines suffered while his very old, deep-rooted vines came through comparatively unscathed, and fermentations brought little loss of acidity. Mosel Fine Wines called his 2022 collection stunning from top to bottom.

• Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken: drought stress in young vines; vines up to 130 years old reached deep water
• Dr. Hermann, Erden: harvest from 20 September, starting with Kabinett
• Dr. Hermann: Beerenauslese from botrytized Erdener Pralat fruit at 138 degrees Oechsle

The 25 October 2022 estimate for the national crop was around nine million hectoliters, two percent above the ten-year average and six percent above 2021, with September rain plumping the grapes but often demanding extra selection in the vineyards. The final figure was 8.94 million hectoliters, 6 percent more than the year before and 3.5 percent above the 2016 to 2021 average. The dry summer meant less fungal disease and healthier grapes, while young vines and sites with little water storage lost yield without irrigation. Pradikatswein made up 21 percent of the crop, against 15 percent in 2021, with 75 percent Qualitatswein. Red wines were among the winners, as red grapes gained most from the sunniest summer since weather records began.

• Estimate of 25 October 2022: around nine million hectoliters, 6 percent up on 2021
• Final figure: 8.94 million hectoliters, 3.5 percent above the 2016 to 2021 average
• Pradikatswein: 21 percent of the 2022 crop, up from 15 percent in 2021
• The VDP noted that, as in 2018, many regions started picking in late August