Vintage 2022 will be remembered as the sunniest year with the driest summer since measurements began in 1881.

The beginning of the year was already quite warm and we were glad to have survived May without frost damage. Rapid development of the vines was followed by early flowering. Towards the end of flowering, around Pentecost, begin of June, there was a rainy period. This led to reduced yields in some of our plots, but this was acceptable. After that, it barely rained at all for the rest of the growing season. The grapes remained healthy, and, luckily, the temperatures didn’t exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite the drought, we decided not to irrigate. Fortunately, the vineyard sites in Graach have a generous water reserve. This is a huge advantage in dry years. Further, we would like to help the vines to get their roots down so that they can cope better in drier years in the future, instead of searching for water in the topsoil. Finally, the old, deep-rooted vines continue to provide us with very healthy, juicy grapes in 2022. In the case of new plantings, we decided to cut the grapes already in the summer to relieve the young vines.

The long-awaited rain came at “the wrong time” in September. Within two weeks before the start of the harvest, we had 50 liters per square meter of precipitation – a horror scenario for any winegrower. Our great fortune was the cool autumn weather, the excellent health of the grapes, the very strict selection, a lucky hand in decision-making, and, of course, our excellent team, which showed full commitment.

On September 19, 2022, we started picking. In the first two weeks, we pre-selected and defoliated all of our plots. Since the rain was bothering us in an almost weekly rhythm, this decision was very important, and we were able to pick healthy, aromatic, and mature grapes until the end of the harvest. After it rained, we always interrupted picking for a while so that the grapes could dry. After three weeks of harvesting, we stopped again for a few days, hoping that the grapes would gain in concentration. But it rained again without warning. As the weather forecast predicted further changeable and warm weather, we decided to harvest the gorgeous-looking, very fine grapes and thus finish the harvest on October 13, 2022. The physiological ripeness was fantastic. But, due to the humidity, the must weights did not climb upwards as we had hoped, so the 2022 vintage is limited to village-level wines, Kabinetts, and some Spätlesen. In addition, we will be able to offer Domprobst Kabinett and Spätlese for the annual VDP.AUCTION in Trier. Our relatively young-vine plots in Wehlener Sonnenuhr were extremely bothered by the lack of rain and the little number of grapes were not good enough for a single-vineyard wine. But we are looking forward to the next harvest with hope…

The attractive young wines are rather slender and fine, fruit-driven, precise, multi-layered, and well structured. Once again, the sensation of the vineyards’ character is impressive. Vintage 2022 is not as opulent as expected. In our eyes, it is not a “typical hot year.” But, anyway, all the 2022 wines are much more accessible compared to the vibrant, energetic Rieslings of the year before, and they definitively promise great joy!

Weingut Willi Schaefer, February 2023