Radebeul (dpa/sn) – With the cold snap predicted for the Elbe valley at the weekend with significantly below zero, the Saxon state winery Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul near Dresden is hoping for the ice wine harvest. “We are preparing to read the frozen grapes in the vineyard,” said winery spokesman Martin Junge on Friday. You follow the weather forecast very closely and make decisions at short notice. “As winemakers, we are always dependent on nature.”
According to Junge, the fruit for ice wine production is still hanging on around 1,000 vines at the Goldener Wagen vineyard. In order to be able to harvest the rarity coveted by wine connoisseurs, temperatures of at least minus seven degrees are necessary during the harvest. In addition, sufficient frost is required beforehand. “We hope that Peter is kind to us and bestows the required low temperatures.”
That would then be as early as it has not been for decades and also for the second time in a row, said Junge. According to him, the Riesling grapes for the 2021 ice wine were harvested on December 26th, from around 2000 vines and at minus twelve degrees Celsius. “We’re counting on similar temperatures in 2022.”