"Record-breaking!"

Grape harvest starts earlier than ever in Styria

Many Styrian winegrowers are already starting the main harvest this weekend.

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

Many Styrian vineyards are already in full swing: a hot and sunny summer ensures a historic early start to the harvest. Experts are positive about the quality of the grapes.

Werner Luttenberger started out as a viticultural consultant in the early 1980s and has been Styrian wine director since 2000 - but this year has surprised even the experienced industry expert: "From Müller-Thurgau to Welschriesling, actually one of the latest varieties, almost all the grapes are now ready to be harvested. We've never really had that before at the end of August."

Main harvest starts this weekend
An above-average warm year and a summer with plenty of sunshine are ensuring an "almost record-breaking" early start to the harvest season in Styrian vineyards. Grapes for juice, Sturm and sparkling wine are already in the cellar in many places. "The main harvest with Müller-Thurgau will start this weekend or in the following days. That's very early," explains Luttenberger.

In the past, the main harvest was usually in October and sometimes lasted until the national holiday. This year, most of the work will be done around September 20.

Werner Luttenberger, steirischer Weinbaudirektor

Bild: Anna Stöcher

By way of comparison: in the 1980s and 90s, harvesting usually began in the last few days of September, with the main harvest sometimes lasting until the national holiday (October 26). "This year, most of the grapes will be gone by around September 20," says the viticulture director, adding: "It's just the climate change. Starting with the budding, everything has become earlier."

More wine than last year
Luttenberger is quite confident about the quality of the coming vintage: "The ripeness values look good across the board." In terms of quantity, this year's harvest is likely to be somewhat larger than last year, with an estimated 200,000 hectoliters. The late frosts in spring only affected winegrowers in certain areas.

The relatively warm nights have somewhat dampened the current good harvest conditions. Because: "Cooler night-time temperatures mean more aroma in the grapes." However, a look at the weather forecast shows that this will remain a pipe dream, at least for the coming nights.