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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Hamburg red wine harvest is a close call

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Grapes have been harvested from Hamburg's Stintfang vineyard, but the crop may be too small for a first red-wine production since the vineyard was replanted.
  • Winemaker Ekkehart Opitz said some grapes were lost after people stole them, making production uncertain.
  • If bottled, the Regent grape wine will be produced in a small, exclusive batch and distributed mainly as gifts or auctioned for charity.

Hamburg's tiny hillside vineyard has harvested its red grapes, but producing wine this year remains a close call. Winemaker Ekkehart Opitz said the expected yield looked better two weeks ago, before losses caused by people stealing grapes from the vineyard.

The winemaker responsible will decide whether the harvest is large enough to justify production. Opitz expects “a small first batch,” which would make the vintage particularly exclusive. The grapes will go to Stuttgart for processing.

A close call

· Ekkehart OpitzThe winemaker's description of the uncertain harvest and whether it will support production.

The Regent grapes could produce the first Hamburg Stintfang red wine since the vineyard was cleared for the reconstruction of a subway station in 2019. Ninety-nine new vines were planted in 2022. Last year, they were still too young for a sufficient harvest, so the small crop became jelly instead. This year's production would consist solely of Regent red wine rather than the cuvee made in earlier years.

The Stintfang vineyard covers about 500 square meters above Hamburg's Landungsbrucken. Ten volunteer winemakers care for the vines and oversee production. The wine is not sold commercially. Small quantities are mainly given to guests of Hamburg's parliament or auctioned for charity. Previous harvests produced about 20 to 50 bottles, each holding 0.375 liters.

We assume it will be a small first batch

· Ekkehart OpitzHis expectation for the size of the first red-wine production after the vineyard's replanting.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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