Germany's record-breaking 2017 vintage

The 2017 vintage in Germany broke not just one record but three. In many regions it was not only the earliest but also the smallest harvest in living memory. In addition it turned out to be the season with the shortest vegetation period. As a rule this lasts approximately 100 days between flowering and harvest but was it reduced to fewer than 90 days for some varieties.

All had started well with a warm and dry early spring, encouraging budbreak as early as the first half of April, three to four weeks ahead of the annual average.

But growers are...