Sybille Kuntz, winemaker in the village of Lieser, just west of Bernkastel on the Mosel, has sent this report and photo. Another producer overjoyed by the sunny October weather.The continuous sunny weather led us to do a second pre-picking and in the upcoming and last harvest week [that's w/c 22 Oct] we will pick super ripe and golden-yellow coloured grapes on schedule.
Morning temperatures of around 35° F [1.5° C] until midday are forecast for the final harvest week. The sugar reading of the grapes will increase at this stage only through dehydration of the berries, because the yellow coloured foliage has stopped its photosynthetic activity.
The high Brix [sugar] levels promise a collection of luscious and very tasty Riesling wines. The spirit of our young and ambitious picking team is fantastic despite the cold temperatures in the vineyards – a super team. [They'd have to be to work on slopes like this!]