Grape Harvest Gets Off to a Promising Start

The 2020 grape harvest in Luxembourg has got off to a promising start thanks to a mix of wet and sunny weather this year.

On Tuesday 22 September 2020, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and the Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Romain Schneider, visited Moselle winegrowers and representatives of the viticulture sector during the harvest at Markustuerm, in the vineyard in Schengen.

The rainy winter months nourished the soil of the Luxembourg Moselle at the start of the year. Throughout the year, the weather seemed to be on the side of the winegrowers. A varied mix of sun and rain provided excellent conditions for the development of the vines. The winegrowers are satisfied with the current situation. The high number of hours of sunshine brought great maturation and veraison of the grapes. This is reflected not only in the colour, but also in the taste of young, round and balanced wines. However, due to the drought, the volumes will not be in excess.

Winemakers have to be flexible. No vintage is like the last and adaptability and skills are constantly being tested. Despite the current situation, the winegrowers have been able to adapt to the crisis and have been able to organise the harvest with the help of foreign and local grape pickers, mobilised through the ADEM employment agency or the MBR Maschinenring.

Lately, winegrowers have been going through an unusual period, with a spring without tasting events and a summer without wine festivals. However, they are now impatiently awaiting the various challenges that lie ahead in autumn: the development of a vintage in which winegrowers can express their signature and know-how. On the other hand, they are also happy to be able to welcome customers in wine bars, where they will offer tastings at the end of the harvest.

The first “Fiederwäissen” wines are already in the cellars and demonstrate the potential of the sunny 2020 vintage. Surprisingly stable acidity and optimum degrees of oechsle promise remarkable quality and great diversity.