September 23, 2014: News, Vintages
We are just back from the Mosel with fresh news from various Estates. The harvest has already started!
The Mosel harvest 2014 has already started for early ripening grapes such as Müller-Thurgau as you can see from the pictures posted by Weingut Max Ferd. Richter and Weingut zur Römerkelter (don’t know the zur Römerkelter Estate run by Timo Dienhart? We featured its Edition Bee Maringer Honigberg Kabinett Feinherb 2012 as wine of the month last year).
(images: Weingut zur Römerkelter / Weingut Max Ferd. Richter, all rights reserved)
There has been warm weather and some rain last week and over the weekend. A heavy storm raging through Löf, Hatzenport and Gondorf in the Terrassenmosel area on Saturday evening. Overall, the Mosel got no more than 20-40 liters of rain, which is far from ideal but still ok at this stage (Riesling can endure quite a lot).
Riesling grapes are already at 85° Oechsle in the better parts (i.e. good Kabinett level). Most winemakers we talked to, including notorious late harvesters such as Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm, indicated a likely start of the Mosel harvest 2014 on Monday October 6 (of course “only” with some pre-harvest, negative selections, etc.). This is much earlier than in recent years.
Fingers crossed!
© Text by Mosel Fine Wines "The Independent Review of Mosel Riesling ... and beyond!"
Disclaimer: Mosel Fine Wines is an independent publication and has no commercial relationship with any Estate, association or organization featured in this article.