2002 HARVEST STATISTICS RELEASED

POSITIVE INDICATIONS
OF ANOTHER GREAT VINTAGE

April 23, 2003…Global warming? Enhanced quality initiatives? Increased attention to vineyard management? Call it what you will, Germany has another top vintage to offer, and quantities are more than 12 percent greater than the highly touted 2001 crop.This is especially good news for U.S. trade which is experiencing supply-side difficulties in meeting increased consumer demand.

Official statistics just released by the German Wine Grower’s Association indicate nearly 10.2 million hectoliters was harvested in 2002, just slightly higher than the average of the past ten years. The 2002 crop also nudged higher than 2001 in average ripeness (Oechsle levels) and acidity levels, and produced a greater percentage of Germany’s highest quality category, Qualitätswein mit Prädikat.

Final harvest statistics by region, as well as a 20-year perspective, follow.

REGION

Quantity harvested (hl)

Avg. Oechsle

Avg. Acidity
g/l

% Tafelwein

%
QbA

%
QmP

AHR

46,448

77

8.8

0.6

30.5

68.9

BADEN

1,369,363

81

8.1

1.0

44.8

54.2

FRANKEN

445,891

85

7.5

0.5

29.0

70.4

HESS. BERGSTRASSE

36,188

78

9.2

-

42.9

57.1

MITTELRHEIN

41,077

74

8.9

-

26.0

74.0

MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER

1,026,736

75

10.5

0.1

37.7

62.2

NAHE

411,542

80

9.2

-

30.6

69.4

RHEINGAU

306,037

82

8.9

-

36.0

64.0

RHEINHESSEN

2,703,867

78

8.4

0.3

42.7

57.0

PFALZ

2,415,687

76

10.3

0.9

50.3

48.8

WÜRTTEMBERG

1,314,398

76

8.4

-

43.9

56.1

SACHSEN

18,961

80

8.6

2.8

54.2

42.9

SAALE-UNSTRUT

39,758

77

9.3

0.5

89.7

9.8

TOTAL GERMANY

10,175,953

78

9.0

0.5

43.3

56.3

Year

Harvested

Quantity

(hl)

Avg. Degrees Oechsle

Average Acidity (g/l)

% Tafelwein

% QbA

%QmP

White wine must %

Red wine must %

1982

15,402,949

70

8.4

8.0

68.8

23.2

88.1

11.9

1983

13,040,937

75

8.5

2.5

51.0

46.5

88.0

12.0

1984

7,993,489

63

12.6

13.4

79.7

6.8

87.8

12.2

1985

5,402,394

76

9.3

0.1

40.3

59.6

90.7

9.3

1986

10,062,456

69

9.7

4.7

75.7

19.6

86.4

13.6

1987

8,942,386

69

10.1

1.9

77.1

21.0

86.5

13.5

1988

9,314,610

76

9.1

0.2

46.4

53.4

85.6

14.4

1989

13,226,232

76

8.6

0.6

51.5

47.9

85.0

15.0

1990

8,513,505

78

8.9

0.2

39.3

60.5

84.4

15.6

1991

10,169,962

71

8.8

2.5

73.5

24.0

85.0

15.0

1992

13,375,036

75

8.1

2.1

50.0

47.8

83.6

16.4

1993

9,718,333

79

8.2

0.3

33.6

66.1

80.8

19.2

1994

10,347,710

75

9.5

1.6

55.6

42.7

80.7

19.3

1995

8,510,134

71

10.6

1.6

74.3

24.0

79.7

20.3

1996

8,641,985

74

10.7

0.4

61.9

37.7

78.5

21.5

1997

8,494,813

80

8.1

-

29.9

70.0

77.9

22.1

1998

10,833,860

75

8.4

1.1

57.4

41.5

74.7

25.3

1999

12,285,970

78

7.7

0.4

44.5

55.1

74.2

25.8

2000

10,080,828

75

8.7

1.9

53.9

44.1

69.5

30.5

2001

9,081,322

77

8.8

0.4

45.4

54.2

68.7

31.3

2002

10,175,952

78

9.0

0.5

43.3

56.3

64.8

35.2

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