German Riesling prices expected to rise in 2014

The price of German Riesling is set to rise thanks to a weather-hit 2013 growing season, with yields down by as much as 30% on a typical year.

Prices for German Riesling are already rising (Image: German Wine Institute)

Wines of Germany said total wine production in 2013 was likely to reach about 8.3m hectolitres (hl), slightly down on previous estimates, 8% lower than last year and 10% down on the 10-year average of 9.26m hl.

But regions dominated by Riesling, such as the Mosel or Rheingau, have been particularly hard-hit, with yields down 30% and 21% respectively on the long-term average.

Meanwhile, the harvest in the Pfalz – Germany’s largest Riesling production area – was about 11% down on 2012.

Prices for Riesling are already rising as a result of the small crop, a Wines of Germany spokesperson told Decanter.com.

‘As a result of [reduced production], producers from these regions have announced price adjustments,’ she said.

‘It is still too early to tell the exact degree of adjustments at the moment, and this also depends on the individual losses of each producer.’

As in many other parts of Europe, the 2013 vintage in Germany was impacted in particular by poor weather during flowering.

During the summer, the country also experienced its worst floods since 2002, with up to 20,000 agricultural properties affected.

But Wines of Germany said producers were ‘pleased’ with the quality of wine produced in 2013.

Written by Richard Woodard