16 The German Times – Business April 2019

Winding north

Climate change is transforming viticulture in Germany

frost candles and even helicopters to try BY NIKOLAS RECHENBERG and drive out the frost from the rows of SHUTTERSTOCK vines. ineyards that reach the Baltic Sea? Climate change is also causing a grow- We’ve seen it once before – some ing number of winemakers to seek out V800 years ago. Today’s climate higher ground. For example, higher areas change is bringing warmer and warmer along the Mosel River – the so-called weather to Germany. And accord- “upper bars” – are once again being cul- ingly, German winemakers have started tivated. Ernst Büscher from the German moving even further north, all the way Wine Institute notes that “one hundred to the coast. Near Kiel, Germany’s north- meters higher means an average tem- ernmost big city in the state of Schleswig- perature of one degree less.” This makes Holstein, the Montigny Winery now it possible to continue producing lighter operates a vineyard on two hectares of white wines. Plus, in order to prevent land surrounding Hof Altmühlen. And at rising temperatures from generating Germany’s northernmost vineyard since heavy wines like the ones in Spain and 2009 -- in Keitum on the island of Sylt Portugal, winemakers are also trimming in the North Sea – the Rheingau winery back the foliage on vines more aggres- Balthasar Ress cultivates Solaris and Mül- sively; after all, those leaves produce ler-Thurgau grapevines on a plot of 3,000 sugar via photosynthesis, and this sugar square meters. is stored in the grapes and then con- Even the states of Brandenburg and verted into alcohol. Lower Saxony, which have never been 100,000 hectares of vineyards. However, devoted to Cabernet Franc (44 hectares), In fact, less and less ice wine has been pro- One group of Germans welcoming the home to winegrowing, are starting to see the trend toward red grape varieties in all Shiraz (57 hectares) and Tempranillo (10 duced since the 2000s, as those long peri- higher temperatures are pests and para- vineyards being established. In Lower 13 growing areas between the Elbe and hectares) more than doubled from 2010 to ods of minus-7-degree weather necessary sites, such as the Kirchessigfliege (cherry Saxony, ten new winemakers have Lake Constance is clearly identifiable. In 2014. The acreage for Cabernet Sauvignon for the late harvest of these sweet wines vinegar fly), Rebzikaden (grapevine leaf- acquired the right to cultivate grape- the medium term, winemakers in Ger- (to 360 hectares) and Merlot (to 600 hect- in winter are becoming increasingly rare. hoppers) and Eichenprozessionsspinner vines on a total of nearly 7.6 hectares. many are increasingly looking at red grape ares) also rose by 20 percent each. In 2007, the vines started to bloom (oak processionary moths). As a result, These winegrowing areas are located in varieties such as Tempranillo and Merlot. Every now and then, climate change earlier than ever before. These days, winemakers are expanding their use of the region around Hanover as well as in For the grape known as Trollinger, how- prompts concern among otherwise in the Rheingau region, the blooming organic pest control, which can involve, the nearby districts of Göttingen, Lüne- ever, things are slowly getting too hot. It relaxed German winemakers. In 2006, for occurs ten days earlier than it did 60 for example, special attractants. In the burg, Oldenburg, Schaumburg, Friesland, is already being replaced in part by other example, the ice wine harvest failed com- years ago. The flowering of the vines – battle against the Traubenwickler (vine Osnabrück and Ammerland. In the space varieties, such as Cabernet Franc, Caber- pletely due to an excessively mild climate. which usually takes place in early June moth), the use of a pheromones-based of only a couple of years, many of these net Sauvignon and Merlot. – now comes, on average, approach in more than half of the vine- northern wines will no doubt be able to With current trends in roughly 15 days earlier yards in Rhineland-Palatinate is already measure up to the levels of quality offered wine lovers’ drinking habits ONE-QUARTER OF GERMAN WINE EXPORT than in 1955. yielding positive results. by more traditional winegrowing areas. always in mind, winemak- EARNINGS IS GENERATED IN THE US This early sprouting of Climate change will also no doubt As it is, German growers are already ers are proceeding with leaves is associated with impact the taste of wines, many of which well-prepared for the near future with caution and now planting The export of German wines to the United States is on the a number of dangers: for will contain significantly less acidity and their traditional cool-climate grape vari- smaller plots of land with decline, yet the US remains the most important export destination example, night frosts can be less fruity. On the other hand, it also eties: Riesling, Silvaner and Spätbur- southern red wines. for German vineyards. One-quarter of all German wine exports threaten young shoots, means they’ll be earthier and heavier – gunder (Pinot Noir). Any danger that At roughly one percent of is sent to the US every year. In 2018, one million of the roughly and temperatures of with the alcohol content already moving these late-maturing grape varieties will all vineyards in Germany, 10 million hectoliters of wine produced every year in Germany minus 1 degree Celsius steadily upward. not achieve their optimal maturity has the proportion of interna- were exported: about 172,000 hectoliters worth €72 million are also dangerous to the long since faded away. tional grape varieties is still went to the US, followed by the Scandinavian countries with vines. Winemakers these 159,000 hectoliters worth €49 million and the United Kingdom At the moment, winemakers are produc- low. However, figures from days are deploying mea- Nikolas Rechenberg is a ing around 66 percent white wine and 34 the German Wine Institute with 132,000 hectoliters worth €27 million. sures such as small wind wine blogger based in Berlin. percent red wine on the country’s roughly (DWI) show that the area turbines, fan heaters,

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