Saxony Winegrowers' Association expects yield losses of 34 million euros

As a result of the damage caused by late frosts, the Saxony Winegrowers' Association is expecting yield losses of around 34 million euros this year, according to a recent survey. According to information from Friday, the loss is currently 83 percent, with differences depending on the location and grape variety. "In some areas, there has even been a total loss."

Detailed figures were compiled for around 70 percent of the area under cultivation; according to the statement, the entire value chain from grape cultivation to wine production and marketing was taken into account.

A situation like this has not been seen in Saxony's vineyards "for decades", the association stated. The early budding across the board after a mild winter at the beginning of April was followed by "the most severe late frost event" with more than eight hours of continuous frost in the air and on the ground as well as temperatures of minus 5 degrees Celsius and colder, which caused considerable damage throughout the entire wine-growing region of Saxony.

Consequential damage to the not yet fully regenerated vines will probably also lead to a reduction in yield of around 20 percent in 2025, according to the statement. The association estimates additional damage of 10 million euros for the less resistant young vines, some of which have been severely damaged in their development and will now have to be cared for more intensively and in some cases completely replanted. The care and management of the damaged orchards is now also more costly. The different stages of development of shoots and grapes make more work, as does the fungal load - and harvesting is also becoming more complicated due to different grape generations and ripening times.