Wine harvest begins in Rattey with hopes of a record yield

The grape harvest has begun at northern Germany’s largest vineyard in Rattey, with the winery hoping to produce more than 100,000 liters of wine for the first time.

All of the estate’s roughly 175,000 vines are carrying grapes this year, according to winery manager Stefan Schmidt. The first variety to be picked is the early-ripening white grape Solaris, using a mechanical harvester.

Schmidt expects a harvest of about 30 to 35 tonnes of grapes. He said that would produce roughly 25,000 to 30,000 liters of must, already more than half the amount harvested last year. The varieties Helios, Regent and Rondo will follow. The approximately 35-hectare estate grows 16 grape varieties in total.

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We expect to harvest around thirty to thirty-five tonnes. Converted into must, that is 25,000 to 30,000 liters.

The winemakers describe the year as generally good. Unlike some previous years, the vineyard avoided late frosts. Rainfall during June and July could have been heavier, however, leaving the berries somewhat smaller than usual.

Solaris is particularly suited to the northern location, Schmidt said, and allows the estate to make a broad range of wines. This year’s production will include dry and off-dry Solaris. The harvest is expected to continue until the middle or end of October. The final vines, planted three years ago, are producing grapes for the first time.

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Solaris is a variety that suits us very well in the north and allows us to produce a fairly broad spectrum of different wines.