Germany’s wine sector is set for a recovery in 2025, with harvest volumes projected to rise after a weak 2024.
The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) estimates this year’s wine must output at 8.2m hectolitres as of 20 September 2025, up 5% on 2024’s 7.8m hectolitres.
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Last year’s harvest was hit by adverse weather, including late frosts and heavy rainfall, and came in 12% below the 2018–2023 six-year average of 8.9m hectolitres.
Growing conditions in 2025 were generally more favourable, although the crop is still expected to be slightly below average — 3% under the 2019–2024 six-year benchmark of 8.5m hectolitres, Destatis said.
The outlook arrives as Germany’s wine market is weakening, with domestic consumption down last year.
The German Wine Institute reported purchase volumes fell 4% and sales value dropped 5%.
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By GlobalDataTo address the surplus, Germany has urged Brussels to expand its planned grub-up scheme.
The practices of grubbing-up and green harvesting – which would see winemakers removing unripe grapes before harvest – are designed to prevent surplus production.
Such moves have been carried out in individual EU member states and Brussels said in March it would look to “empower” countries to carry out similar schemes.
Rheinhessen and Pfalz wine regions are again set to account for just over half of total output, with 2.2m and 2.0m hectolitres respectively.
Baden (1.2m hectolitres) and Württemberg (911,000 hectolitres) together are forecast to contribute a further 26%.
Across Germany’s wine regions, most areas are projected to post year-on-year growth.
Baden is set to add 232,000 hectolitres, an increase of 24%, while Württemberg is expected to rise by 231,000 hectolitres, up 34%.
The Mosel shows a rebound with an additional 228,000 hectolitres, equating to a 44% uplift.
Franconia and Nahe are both forecast to expand by around a third, with gains of 96,000 hectolitres and 76,000 hectolitres respectively, each up 30%.
The sharpest relative increase is anticipated in Saale-Unstrut, where volumes are predicted to climb by 46,000 hectolitres, a jump of 275%.
By contrast, Rheinhessen is forecast to fall by 371,000 hectolitres, a decline of 14%, while the Palatinate/Pfalz is projected to drop by 240,000 hectolitres, down 11%.
The Rheingau is set for a smaller reduction of 15,000 hectolitres, equivalent to 7%.
White wines are expected to make up the bulk of the 2025 harvest, with 5.7m hectolitres (69%) of white must and 2.6m hectolitres (31%) of red must.
White production will dominate in Mosel (90%), Rheingau (86%), and Franconia (85%).
