Wein harvest 2023: Lower Austria fights with historically low yield

Von WOM

The latest harvesting for the born 2024 throw a dark light on wine production in Austria. The official estimates predict that the harvest with only 1.9 million hectoliters (HL) will be significantly below the value of the previous year of 2.3 million hl. In other words, this could be the smallest harvest since 1997, with the exception of the year 2010, which was at a similar level. A decline of around 20% compared to the five -year average of 2.4 million HL makes you take notice and shows that the winemakers face major challenges.

The yields vary greatly between the growing areas, which confirms a classic pattern in Austrian wine production. In Lower Austria, the average yields are given as 47.8 hl/ha, compared to 42.2 hl/ha in Burgenland. The performance of the Traisental, which achieves the highest values ​​at 59 HL/ha, is particularly remarkable, followed by the Kremstal and the Wachau with 55 hl/ha. On the other hand, Vienna with 27 hl/ha and the thermal region with 33 hl/ha show significant weaknesses. These differences are also reflected in the total area, which is 42,388 hectares and is responsible for a relatively small overall harvest.

white wine remains the dominant variety

Another interesting aspect of the current estimates is the distribution between white and red wine. About 71% of the total wine production does not apply to white wine, while red and rosé wine only decreases. This remains largely constant compared to previous years and suggests that despite the challenges in production, the preferences of consumers have not changed significantly.

The fact that the harvest remains far behind the expectations raises questions about the future stability of the industry. Harvest failures to such a considerable extent could not only affect the economy of the winemakers, but also influence the quality and availability of wine for consumers. While the winemakers look at the coming months, it remains to be seen which strategies they will develop to overcome this setback. The reporting on the situation is carried out by www.der-winzer.at To track the wine industry carefully.