The 2026 harvest began record early in almost all German wine regions. The warm summer caused the grapes to ripen very quickly, which means the harvest was already underway second half of August and accelerated during the first week of September. The weather ideally needed to remain as dry as possible; heavy rainfall would further speed up an already fast-moving harvest.
Since almost all grape varieties ripened at the same time, the harvest was expected to proceed quickly and finish early. Growers also needed to monitor the acidity and harvest before it drops too far to keep good freshness in their wines.
The grapes were very healthy and, according to Wines of Germany, producers expect aromatic white wines and deeply coloured reds (not usually the case for German reds). However, the grapes were smaller than usual due to the dry conditions, resulting in lower yields.
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