Situation report of the VDP.Prädikatsweingüter
of the economic year 2024/2025

Confident Through Change

When Mainz becomes the meeting point of German wine these days, it highlights what has defined the VDP.Weinbörse for more than five decades: it is not only the in-house fair of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V. (VDP), but has evolved into one of the most important platforms for German fine wines, providing the wine trade, gastronomy and key multipliers with orientation year after year. As the association’s most important event, it is therefore also the right moment to look back on the past wine and business year and take stock. 

The economic survey among VDP.Members places the 2024/25 business year in an environment that, in Germany and internationally alike, was shaped by restrained consumption and dynamic cost developments. For the wine trade, gastronomy, and wine consumers at home and around the world, the wines of VDP.Estates remain a reliable constant. They maintain their role as a point of reference for German fine wines: distinct origins, artisanal precision and the clear quality pyramid create trust among sales partners. Many estates therefore work consistently on market proximity and long-term partnerships, strengthening their presence at home and abroad. “In a market that is visibly changing and has become more demanding, it becomes clear how resilient the VDP’s foundations are. The grape eagle, the VDP’s hallmark, has stood for 100 years for values such as quality through consistent craftsmanship and reliability through sustainable practice. Preserving what is good, but always questioning things critically, we are well positioned for the future,” summarizes VDP.President Steffen Christmann. 
 

The 2025 Vintage – A Year at a Fast Pace 

The 2025 wine year was marked by a brisk rhythm: early development phases in spring, rapid ripening and an autumn that, in many places, began noticeably earlier than usual. Unlike 2024, fortunately there was no widespread late frost – vegetation got off to a good start and estates were able to begin their vineyard work without disruption. 

Summer brought warm, sunny periods that advanced ripening. Sporadic rainy phases – especially in July – provided growth impulses but also required close monitoring of grape health and careful canopy management. Subsequent longer dry spells increased ripening pressure: many developments ran in parallel and decisions had to be taken quickly. 

Harvest was concentrated into a short, intense period. At some estates it began as early as August; in many places the main harvest was compressed into just a few weeks. Where rainfall coincided with harvest, strict selection was necessary; manual work and precise timing remained the basis for bringing optimal fruit into the cellar. Yields show a heterogeneous picture – regionally sometimes somewhat higher than 2024, elsewhere noticeably lower; overall, at 50 hectolitres per hectare, the vintage is quantitatively as small as it has been since 2017 – if one sets aside the frost-damaged 2024 vintage. 

2025 therefore promises to be a vintage defined less by spectacular individual events than by pinpoint work and clarity of origin. VDP President Steffen Christmann puts it this way: “I can hardly remember another year that gifted us such excellent grapes. Little, but wonderful. The year began rather dry, which probably led to a low fruit set. Then rain arrived at just the right time and, together with balanced weather, the grapes were able to ripen perfectly. Harve sted fully ripe and with the finest fruit acidity, the musts fermented into full, intense young wines.” 

Direct Sales: Cellar Door Remains the Foundation, Systematic Expansion of Digital Sales 

The German market remains important for VDP.Estates: on average, around three quarters of revenue is generated domestically. Direct sales are a stabilising anchor and remain a central pillar offered by almost all estates. On average, the cellar-door share remains constant at around one third. 

At the same time, digital direct sales continue to gain importance. Around nine out of ten estates have their own webshop; on average, around 12% of sales are generated via this channel. Many estates invest specifically in customer communication – newsletters, social media, invitation formats, digital tastings – not as a short-term action to boost sales, but as reliable relationship-building and marketing tools that also support sales through their trade partners. In addition, many estates work with external online retailers; this channel accounts for an average of around 5% of sales. 

Market and Value Creation: Less Volume, More Work in the Market

In 2025, VDP.Estates recorded an estimated total sales volume of 33.5 million bottles (0.75 l). The decline compared with the previous year (35.7 million bottles) reflects the general environment, but also the frost-related losses in 2024: the domestic market remains shaped by restrained consumption, and when buying wine greater attention is paid to price and occasion. 

At the same time, a central dynamic is evident in the premium segment: value creation arises not from volume alone, but from profile, price stability, partnerships and customer proximity. 

For 2025, the revenue volume of VDP.Estates totals around 426 million euros (approx. 2.1 million euros per estate). In terms of revenue development, more than half report positive results – specifically, 22% of estates report rising revenues and 31% stable revenues. Overall, however, the higher effort required in selling and the noticeable cost pressure are mentioned most frequently. 

Many estates do not describe the situation as a “crisis”, but as structural change: the market demands more presence, more explanation and more relationship management. Sales happens less “automatically”; it must be shaped more actively – through travel, events, tastings, alternative sales formats and closer support for partners. 

Specialist Retail and Gastronomy: When Well Maintained, a Reliable Partner 

Specialist retailers and gastronomy remain indispensable partners for VDP.Estates – not only as distribution channels. They provide orientation, enable advice and create the context in which fine wines unfold: cuisine, enjoyment and wine culture. 

In gastronomy, a robust base is evident: around every fifth bottle is still sold directly into this channel. In an environment shaped by consolidation, new concepts and changing going-out habits, this figure signals resilient relationships. Decisive here are also the many committed Sommeliers who represent VDP.Wines at the table with great expertise and passion – as interpreters of origin, style and vintage. Many estates strengthen these partnerships through presence at selected events, shared menus and winemakers’ dinners, training sessions, and mutual on-site support. 

In specialist retail, partnership also remains central, while the channel is under greater pressure in many places, as retailers too feel the shift in consumption. Even more, estates – as in gastronomy – rely on formats that create loyalty, such as samples, visits, joint tastings, in-house fairs with importers, masterclasses – and above all continuity in communication and service. This “work in the market” is time-intensive but pays off where partners work together on profile and placement. 

Sparkling wine is increasingly playing a role as well: the investments of recent years in the classifications VDP.SEKT and VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE®, which were launched ten years ago with the VDP.SEKT.STATUTE, are showing impact in trade and gastronomy – as an addition to portfolios and as an alternative to other established origins. 

Grocery Retail (LEH): Limited – Discount Plays Virtually No Role 

While a large share of wine sales in Germany takes place through grocery retail (LEH), this channel plays a significantly smaller role in the marketing mix of VDP.Estates. For them, LEH remains a rather optional channel with an average sales share of around 6%. Discount remains below 1% and plays virtually no role within the VDP. Where VDP.Wines are placed in LEH, this succeeds above all where owner-managed markets consciously focus on regional quality, advice and reliable assortments – and where cooperation is visibly supported by personal presence, tastings and continuous communication. 

Export & Sustainability: A Strategic Focus – and an Expression of International Appreciation 

Export continues to gain strategic weight – not as a replacement for the home market, but as a necessary second pillar in a shrinking domestic market. The international environment remains volatile: economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, exchange-rate risks and differing market sentiments influence sell-through and planning. Nevertheless, the survey shows that many VDP.Estates were able to expand their international presence. 

38% of estates report rising export sales and 32% stable export sales. Overall, the export share of volume remains around one quarter; in revenue, an accordingly greater weight is evident due to higher value creation in many markets. 

The most important markets continue to include Scandinavia in first place, the USA in second place, and Great Britain and Switzerland as European markets in third place. Internationally, the very characteristics that define the VDP profile are in demand: clear origin, artisanal precision, reliability – and the recognizability of the quality pyramid. Many estates describe that export business today works less through classic “acquisition” and more through long-term partnerships, presence, training and targeted market development. 

As a prospective complement to established export markets, estates cite in particular selected Asian markets as well as India; in Europe, Poland and the Czech Republic are more frequently mentioned as growth markets in Germany’s immediate vicinity, and in some cases Canada and South America overseas. 

A topic that is not merely an add-on but has long been part of the VDP’s DNA is sustainability: to send a clear signal, five years ago it was decided that all VDP estates would undergo sustainable certification. This agenda has been achieved with the year 2025.  
82 VDP.Estates farm 40.3% of the VDP.Vineyard area organically (some still in conversion). In this way, around 15% of Germany’s organic vineyard area is farmed by the VDP – with a share of just under 6% of Germany’s total vineyard area. Every tenth VDP.Estate also farms biodynamically. 

Costs and Framework Conditions: Resilience Is No Guarantee for the Future 

The central issue – of far greater significance than changing consumption habits – runs through many responses: sharply rising costs across almost all areas. Energy, operating materials and growing administrative requirements due to bureaucracy are frequently cited; above all, however, labour costs – including the increase in the minimum wage – and non-wage labour costs. In particular, the labour-intensive hand-worked sites that shape our cultural landscapes are becoming increasingly difficult to farm profitably. From the perspective of VDP.Estates – and of German viticulture as a whole – a cost trajectory has been set in motion that could have very serious consequences. 

At the same time, many VDP.Members report that these additional costs can only be passed on to the market to a limited extent and not in the short term – making efficiency, prioritisation and investments that provide long-term relief all the more important, for example energy self-sufficiency, process optimisation and structured direct-sales work. 

Predictable and proportionate framework conditions are a key prerequisite for artisanal top producers in rural areas to invest, train and keep value creation in the regions. This applies even more when it comes to attracting the next generation to the profession and ensuring reliable vocational training. Especially at a time when sales and production are becoming more demanding, VDP.Winegrowers are looking for a dependable outlook for the future – and are ready to do their part. 

Review of the 2025 harvest

At the now upcoming VDP.Weinbörse in Mainz, trade guests can get a first impression of the new 2025 vintage. You can find out more details about the voices of the 2025 vintage here:

Review of the 2025 harvest

VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter  

The VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) is the world’s oldest association of fine wine estates and home to 200 of Germany’s most talented winegrowers. Across diverse regions and philosophies, all share one common thread: a tireless dedication to the timeless ideal of handcrafted wines that express their origins. Bottles as inimitable as their makers. Joined under a symbol revered the world over: the VDP.Eagle

If you have any questions, please contact: 
 
VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter 
Max Rohde
m.rohde@vdp.de
+49 (0) 6131 945 65 14