VDP.Vintage 2025
A review

It's done! The most intense period of the year is now behind our VDP.winemakers. After a growing season marked by heat spells, locally wet weeks in July and long dry periods thereafter, the harvest demanded utmost precision, perfect timing and many hands in the vineyard. The 2025 vintage came into gear early: impeccably healthy fruit, swift ripening and yet an invigorating acidity — a profile that promises focused, clear wines. VDP.winemakers expect great things.
Our members report on the particularities of the vintage in their region.

Every year brings its own suspense: Will it be too dry? Too wet? Will there be a late frost? No vintage in viticulture is the same as the one before, and 2025 posed new challenges for our VDP.winemakers — though of a different kind than the previous year. Above all, an exceptionally early autumn, which required meticulous selection and rapid picking, was the defining feature of the 2025 wine year.

The start of the growing season was vigorous — the vines sprang into action quickly, and fortunately the devastating late frost of the year before did not recur. A warm summer with sunny spells pushed development forward early; localized rain events supplied growth impulses but also demanded careful canopy work and very close monitoring of grape health. Overall, clear ripening steps and a taut sense of timing defined the year: much happened earlier than usual, and some things proceeded faster than planned.

This dynamic carried through into harvest. Very early on, first parcels showed ripe, impeccably healthy fruit. In many estates the harvest therefore began markedly earlier — in some cases already in August, as early as never before — and autumn followed a compact, concentrated course. Where showers passed through, strict selection was applied — hand harvesting remained the key to precision and style. Where teams made optimal use of short weather windows, they succeeded in bringing grapes into the cellar at very good physiological ripeness. The harvest pace was high and decisions had to be spot on: parcel by parcel, variety by variety, with an eye to aromatics, acid balance and structure.

Harvest volumes were uneven: here and there a little more than in 2024, elsewhere noticeably less — overall 2025 looks rather small in quantity. What matters, however, is what reached the cellar: grapes with strong expression, taut, stimulating acidity and a very clean fruit profile. White wines already show, as young musts, a clear, lively profile; Burgundian varieties and red wines profit from the warm growing phase with ripe tannins and good depth. The diversity arises less from spectacular single events than from fine timing and meticulous attention to detail: timely thinning, judicious leaf work and picking at the right moment.

At the end of this “turbo autumn” stands a vintage that convinces by concentration and composure alike: small, but of the highest quality. The young wines are precise yet approachable, with a clear sense of origin and subtle drive. What is fermenting now promises clarity and tension — wines that let their sites speak while also giving pleasure. After the intensive hand harvest, the cellar has taken over and the 2025 vintage is beginning to reveal its contours.

VDP President Steffen Christmann says of the 2025 wine year: “I can hardly recall another year that has given us such excellent grapes. Little, but wonderful. The year began quite dry, which likely led to a low fruit set. Then timely rain arrived and, together with drying weather, the grapes were able to ripen perfectly. Harvested fully ripe and with the finest fruit acidity, the musts are fermenting into full, intense young wines. We are curious and expect much.”

“The 2025 vintage is defined by character and depth. Very ripe tannins already give the Spätburgunder outstanding structure. The growing season started very early in 2025, and the rainy weather consistently supplied the vines with sufficient water. Harvest took place during a very short period in September, with yields around the average of recent years. Until the heavy rains, harvest proceeded calmly; afterwards it became hectic in places and required day-to-day, meticulous selection. Especially in the area of VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®, the painstaking hand-harvest has paid off. The qualities are sensational and the musts are already very promising.”

— Alexander Stodden, VDP.Estate Jean Stodden

“With a glorious start to spring, the growing season began under the best conditions: well-filled soil reserves enabled rapid and healthy growth. A changeable but overall favorable weather accompanied flowering at the end of May/beginning of June and set the stage for a promising development in the vineyards. Due to increased rainfall in August, the harvest was brought forward; the early picking (first fully ripe grapes on August 18 — as early as never before) required swift action and meticulous selection. Yields fell short of expectations, yet thanks to the tireless commitment of our winemakers the first young wines already show complexity and an invigorating fruit-acid interplay and promise great drinking pleasure after time in barrel.”

— Arner Bercher, VDP.Estate Bercher

The 2025 harvest in the Franconian VDP.estates is complete. After late bud break and a compact picking period, the vintage demanded great finesse: a cool spring, sufficient water during the vegetative phase in June, and a summer without extreme heat created balanced growing conditions, while the alternation of warm days and cool nights in August/September favored aromatic development and preserved acidity. The pre-harvest for sparkling wines began on August 25; the main harvest was largely concentrated on September 1–24, and many estates picked within two to three weeks, requiring high commitment and precise management. With average yields of around 70 hl/ha (VDP.ERSTE/VDP.GROSSE LAGEN: 35–55 hl/ha) and must weights of roughly 85–90 °Oe (top sites over 95 °Oe), the grapes presented themselves in very good health. Silvaner in 2025 is clearly structured, spicy and mineral; Riesling remains fresh and finely chiseled; and Spätburgunder impresses with cool fruit, clear structure and strong aging potential. Conclusion: a vintage of provenance and structure. 2025 stands for balance, freshness and a distinct Franconian signature. The combination of moderate yields, high grape health, precise picking dates and stable acidity produces a vintage with classical stylistic traits and excellent aging potential. The VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN® already show depth and provenance today.”

— VDP.Franken

“After an initially wonderfully dry summer, 2025 first promised uncomplicated quality; however, a prolonged rain period in September locally increased botrytis pressure and made a very selective hand harvest necessary. Thanks to meticulous selection, Riesling was harvested at all quality levels — from base sparkling lots to berry selections — yielding truly wonderful parcels. Strikingly, Burgundian varieties remained perfectly healthy and could be left hanging to higher ripeness levels until the end of harvest. On the stony steep sites, good infiltration stored water reserves, and the early, concentrated harvest in a short time — only possible through the huge commitment of many helpers and precise selection — produced high must weights and abundant aroma. Quantities were rather small (in places well under 50 hl/ha) but qualitatively convincing; the grapes showed strong must weights and pronounced aromatics. The harvest is now in the cellars, and we are full of satisfaction and anticipation for what will emerge.”

— Jochen Ratzenberger, VDP.Weingut Ratzenberger & Anika Hattemer-Müller, VDP.Weingut Matthias Müller

“Especially on the Saar and Ruwer, vintners were particularly dependent on a substantial harvest after the frost damage of 2024. A good flowering and favorable weather made a quantitatively normal vintage possible, with highly aromatic fruit and racy acidity. Most estates began harvest in the 2nd–3rd week of September and welcomed ripe, very aromatic grapes. In many cases a rich quality spectrum emerged — from VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN® and dry top-quality wines to Prädikatsweine and Beerenauslesen; even the Saarburger Laurentiusberg was picked for the first time. From the barren slate sites of the Middle Mosel and the steep vineyards on the Saar and Ruwer there were reports of optimal must weights, intense aroma and particularly strong lots from old vines; yields were in places 10–20% below the average. Overall the region presents an impressive breadth: aromatic, deep, extract-rich Rieslings with fine acidity and excellent balance — a vintage with great aging potential.”

Dr. Carl von Schubert, Regional Chairman VDP.Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

“VDP winemakers in the Nahe generally began harvest in early September and were finished by the end of September/early October — the earliest close of harvest on record. Ripening and thus the start of harvest was extremely early: sugar ripeness advanced rapidly. As in 2015, acidity was largely preserved, which was very welcome. The white Burgundian varieties were mostly picked in the first half of September in perfect health and ideal ripeness. Riesling, which naturally accounts for between 55 and 90 percent of vineyard area in Nahe VDP estates, was harvested over a considerably longer period. Heavy rains in the last third of September meant that meticulous selection was again necessary — and it paid off: from crisp grapes for base sparkling wine through fully ripe, golden GG berries to wonderfully raisined grapes for Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, the 2025 vintage delivered everything one could wish for.”

Frank Schönleber, VDP.Estate Emrich-Schönleber

“The autumn of 2025 was a true sprint — intense, concentrated and very early: as early as late August the first grapes were ripe and healthy, and the harvest for base sparkling wines began in the best late-summer weather. Instead of stretching over many weeks, the harvest this time lasted only about three weeks; low yields were outweighed by quality that exceeded all expectations: impeccably healthy, aromatic and highly concentrated berries with a natural balance. The short, precise harvest demanded the utmost concentration from the team and exact timing — bringing in the final parcels the day before a major rain front was a fortunate finish. Burgundian varieties and Rieslings now present themselves with clarity, depth and freshness and give the 2025 vintage the potential to become one of the great vintages; at the same time the 2024 vintage is already showing superbly in bottle.”

Franz Wehrheim, VDP.Estate Dr. Wehrheim

“The 2025 harvest, with a start already in early September, ranks among the earliest in living memory. The excellent ripening conditions from August into September produced absolutely healthy, physiologically ripe and highly flavorful grapes. Crucial to the high quality were the early harvest start, the right picking strategy and the necessary manpower in the estates — in many places the main harvest lasted only 7–10 days. Must weights were predominantly between 80 and 90 °Oe, and often higher, all at ideal acidity levels. The vintage also delivered outstanding Spätlesen, Auslesen, Beerenauslesen and even Trockenbeerenauslesen with readings well over 200 °Oe in pleasing quantities. The majority of VDP.winemakers report yields slightly below the long-term average — qualitatively, however, an exceptionally precise and ageworthy vintage.”

Markus Roll, VDP.Estate Balthasar Ress

"2025 was a year full of dynamism: dry, warm stretches alternated with intense periods of rain. For us winemakers this meant the utmost vigilance and tireless effort. Yet it was precisely these contrasts that released a special energy in our vineyards. Demanding growing seasons often produce the best wines — if you are willing to carry out the necessary extra work and accept losses in yield. That was true again this year. High disease pressure forced us to spend every spare minute in the vineyards. Meticulous canopy and cluster work were decisive and at the same time led to ideal yield regulation. The efforts have paid off and nature has rewarded us: the musts and first young wines impress with aromatic depth and vibrant tension — a rare combination that fills us with excitement and deep gratitude."

Johannes Hasselbach, VDP.Estate Gunderloch

“After the frost year of 2024, this season the vines — with few exceptions — showed a high fruit set. A relatively rainy summer by our standards led to rapid vine development and, in Saxony, harvest began in early September, while in Saale-Unstrut it started from mid-September. Generous rainfall at the end of September further accelerated picking. Thanks to selective harvesting, all six East German VDP estates were able to gather both the desired quantities and the top qualities from the VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN®. The last late-picked parcels are expected to be brought in around mid-October. Those who invested significant work in their vineyards during the growing season were richly rewarded in terms of quality.”

VDP.Sachsen-Saale Unstrut 

“The ripening set in early thanks to warm late-summer weeks; in many places the harvest began already in early September. Mid-month rain required swift, selective work — yet thanks to the huge commitment in the vineyards the grapes were nonetheless brought in in very good condition. Yields are on a par with last year; must weights and aromatic intensity point to characterful, finely structured wines. Riesling, Lemberger and Spätburgunder already show themselves expressive and promising in their youth. Despite localized challenges, we look back on an overall successful 2025 vintage with clear fruit, elegant structure and good aging potential — it has the makings of one of the strongest vintages of the last decade.”

Felix Ellwanger, VDP.Weingut Jürgen Ellwanger​​​​​​​