Dresden – Saxony’s 2500 large and small vintners along the Saxon Wine Route between Pirna and Seusslitz are very worried.
Because of the bad weather, the grapes on the vine are rotting. The Oechsle grades (sugar in grape must) are lower than they have been for a long time. And there is too much acid. The Viticulture Association has now applied to the Ministry of Agriculture to enrich the wine with more sugar than previously allowed before fermentation.
“It’s a pity. I rounded up helpers for the emergency harvest, ”complains gourmet winemaker Wolfgang Winn (60) from the Pillnitz Royal Vineyard. Many of his colleagues complain that there is actually only enough vinegar this year.
Instead of 1700 to 2000 – as was common in recent years – only 1228 hours of sunshine were counted by the end of August. This is very little for white wines. Not to mention the red wine.
Because of the low temperatures and rainy weather, the first grapes are rotten
Siegbert Böttcher (69) delivered his Müller-Thurgau grapes to the Meißen winegrowers’ cooperative on Saturday: “People were cheering because my grapes were 73 degrees Oechsle. The average for the others was only 65 Oechsle. “Normal would be up to 90 Oechsle!
“Hence our proposal to improve the wine by adding substantial amounts of sugar before fermentation. As a result, we want to achieve 3.5 more alcohol instead of the three percent by volume previously allowed, ”explains the Vice-President of the Wine Growing Association of Saxony, Felix Hößelbarth (40). Such wines can then only be sold as country or quality wines.
Vintner Winn also ensures the high acid content: “You can counteract this with carbonate of lime. So now I have to buy a lot of sugar and lime to work in the vineyard. “
However, the Ministry of Agriculture had not yet issued the sugar permit by Sunday.
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