wine grape harvest
Credit: Ralf Geithe / iStock via Getty Images Plus (2018)
(Image credit: Ralf Geithe / iStock via Getty Images Plus (2018))

German police in the Rheinhessen wine region were hunting for clues as to the whereabouts of stolen grapes after two producers reported harvest theft in the Gundheim district.

Nearly all of the ripe Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc grapes across an 8,000-square-metre area encompassing two vineyards have gone missing and are presumed to have been stolen by thieves.

Two independent winemakers have suffered economic losses of several thousand euros, said police for the German city of Worms, in the Rhineland-Palatinate region.

Picking teams discovered the grapes were missing when they arrived to begin their work, as was also the case in a high-profile theft in France’s Jura region last year.

Worms police described the illegal harvesting as ‘professional’ and appealed for local witnesses, although the theft may occurred at any time between 6 and 14 September.

Culprits must have used some kind of large vehicle, or several means of transport, to escape from the crime scene with their loot, police added, asking anyone with information to contact Alzey police station.

French news media also reported several cases of missing grapes, and complaints of theft, in Burgundy and Champagne in recent weeks.

France’s TF1 Infosaid some growers in Champagne have formed a group to guard vines at night, in addition to the regular vineyard patrols by the local Gendarmerie.

Earlier in September, two winemakers in Burgundy’s Meursault appellation said small portions of their 2025 vintage were missing, reported France 3.

Domaine Vincent Latour was one of those affected, posting photos on Facebook at the end of August alongside the comment, ‘When you arrive to harvest your parcel [of vines] and it’s already harvested’.

Cécile Latour, of the Domaine, told France 3 that around 2.8 tonnes of Chardonnay went missing, equivalent to 1,200 bottles, and that the team had initially thought it was an accident but now believe the grapes were stolen.

Mistakes can happen, particularly where vines with multiple owners are close together.

In another case, the news outlet said a winery in Pommard thought one of its parcels had been stolen before a neighbour got in touch to apologise for a GPS location error. An amicable exchange of grapes was agreed, it said.

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.