“If things continue to develop like this, we will have growing areas here like in California. That means 40 degrees during the day and wines with 16 percent by volume, no acidity, no freshness, really full, bland wines,” says Fuchs in the “Vienna Today” interview. The chairman of the Weinbauverein Mauer assumes that there will still be a Grüner Veltliner, “but it will no longer taste like the Grüner Veltliner that we love and appreciate”.
The temperatures, especially the heat during the day and the lack of cooling at night, have a strong impact on the taste of the wine, says Fuchs. It becomes less acidic, more like the wines in California or southern Italy. The alcohol content also increases – a certain risk for the splash, as Fuchs thinks. “Nobody wants to drink a spritzer with 16% volume.”
Prayers for a good wine
On the Bisamberg in the vineyard of Norbert Walter, the president of the Viennese Winegrowers Association, they are trying to improve this year’s wine harvest with divine help – with a vineyard fair. “We just pray that we still get a good harvest. Today we also have the famous herbal consecration and I think all of that should help. Some say: If it’s no use, then there’s no harm,” says Walter.
He has a good overview of the situation in Vienna. “I would say the situation has changed dramatically. We have some real drought damage on the Nussberg, where the leaves are already falling off and only the grapes are hanging on them.” Mature vines can withstand the drought. They can root up to eight meters deep and get their water from there.
prices will rise
The young, on the other hand, suffer from drought stress. “Of course it’s horrible for the young cultural facilities. If you can’t water it every day or don’t have an irrigation system, then you can assume that many things will not come up this year,” fears Walter. The winegrowers water with the tractor or rely on a hose with drip irrigation.
The grape harvest begins at the beginning of September. The winegrowers hope for cool nights so that the wine is fresher. “We start harvesting earlier, a few weeks earlier, but also earlier in terms of time. So that the grapes get into the press colder,” explains Fuchs. You don’t have to worry regarding this year’s wine, but you will feel the extra effort when you buy it: Both winegrowers agree that prices will rise.