German wine production slumped to the lowest level since 2017 last year as heavy rain in September affected the harvest, reported dpa.
Some 7.55 million hectolitres of wine were produced in 2025, a 2.6% drop from the previous year, the Federal Statistical Office said on Monday.
Compared to the average between 2019 and 2024, production was down 10%, the Wiesbaden-based agency said.
Germany has a proud history of viticulture, with its 13 officially recognized wine-growing regions primarily located in the south-west.
However, the increasing variability of the weather in recent years has presented winemakers with major challenges. In 2025, smaller grape harvests in particular were responsible for the lower yields.
"The last time we had a similarly small harvest of 7.5 million hectolitres was in 2017," said Ernst Büscher, spokesman for the German Wine Institute.
The decline was primarily due to the grapes being more susceptible to rot as a result of heavy rain, and consequently a shorter harvest period.
This was particularly problematic in the two largest wine-growing regions in Germany, Rheinhessen and the Palatinate, which produce 48.1% of the country's volume.
The total area under cultivation in Germany shrank by 1.1% or 1,100 hectares.
More than two-thirds of the wines produced in 2025 were white wines (69.6%), while 29.3% were high-quality Prädikat wines.
- Germany
- Wine production
- Low
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
