Winter's Riesling Trocken
Stefan in the vineyard
Tasting the new vintage
2007 Harvest by Stefan Winter
22 October 2007
Young winemaker Stefan Winter based in Germany’s Rheinhessen region shares his thoughts and experiences of the 2007 harvest…
The run up to harvest…
The vegetative period started really early this year. The month of April was extraordinarily warm with temperatures reaching 28Âş C and almost no rainfall. Such conditions resulted in early flowering and a head start of around 10 to 14 days ahead compared to previous years. The arrival of the summer months brought non- typical cool conditions between the end of July and mid August. As a result grape development was interrupted and a longer vegetative period followed; usually this period lasts for around 100 days from flower to harvest, but in 2007 this increased to 130, even 140 days. The dry weather conditions at the end of August and beginning of September were vital for the development of aromatics in the berries.
Picking begins…
Harvest began for Weingut Winter on 20 September with a team of 13; ten pickers in the vineyards hand-selecting bunches and a further three in the winery to make sure everything runs smoothly at the receiving end. The first varieties picked were Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio followed by the red varieties Pinot Noir, Portugieser and Dornfelder. Autumn was extraordinarily sunny which was perfect for Riesling which benefited from an extended ripening period on the vine – the fully ripened berries are already displaying exotic characteristics yet retain the typical racy acidity so typical of Riesling. The selective harvest of these Riesling grapes will start within the next few days for the single vineyard wines – Dittelsheimer Leckerberg.
The wines so far…
The must and wines which are already undergoing fermentation show great potential – bursting with fruit flavours and a multitude of different aromas. The grape development throughout the fine autumn and the extended vegetative period are the key drivers that will result in an extraordinary vintage for 2007 with wines full of character.
This year’s harvest will conclude towards the end of October; over the coming weeks our focus will shift to the harvest of botrytis affected grapes which are destined for our lush, rich sweet wines.
In conclusion…
Undoubtedly 2007 resulted in one of the longest vegetative periods ever experienced in Germany culminating in a dry and sunny autumn. Such favourable conditions allowed for the development of excellent fruit aromas which together with good must-weight and acidity levels mean we anticipate great, highly distinctive wines from this vintage.
Wines of Germany invites you to comment on the latest blog entry from Stefan Winter. Leave a comment in the box below to automatically enter yourself into a prize draw with the chance to win a mixed case of German wine. The winner will be selected from all those who have posted comments once the new blog is posted.
Looking forward to tasting some of the 2007 wines if this report is anything to go by!
Let’s hope the 2007 Rieslings don’t sell out as quickly as the 2006s- I can’t seem to find any merchants who still have stock!
Great news about the 2007 German vintage – I can’t wait to try the wines.
Amazing to think that all the dreadful weather we saw here in the UK this summer that this benefitted vines elsewhere…