This weekend, the 2026 vintage gave me pause for the first time. I spent three days travelling through Rheinhessen, the Nahe and the Pfalz, seeing vineyards in very different conditions. Yet one thing was strikingly consistent across all three regions: in many places, the grapes are already remarkably far advanced. Much further than I would have expected in mid-August. And above all, development is moving fast. Very fast.
In some places, picking is already under way, initially, of course, for early-ripening varieties and sparkling wine base. Riesling is not yet being harvested to any meaningful extent. In Baden, the Pfalz and Rheinhessen, however, the first estates have now begun their main harvest. Spend any time walking through the vineyards at the moment and one thing quickly becomes clear: 2026 is waiting for no one.
The German Wine Institute expects the harvest to begin around a week earlier than the average of the past five years. The first grapes picked in Baden and the Pfalz already showed very high must weights. At the same time, the prolonged drought has left berries small, healthy and correspondingly concentrated in many places. That also points towards a relatively small crop, although it could certainly benefit quality. On paper, then, the conditions look rather favourable.
And yet, after this weekend, I have the feeling that the defining question of 2026 is only just beginning to emerge.
How much precision can be preserved within all this concentration?
Ripeness is no longer the issue
We are unlikely to spend much time debating whether the grapes are ripe enough in 2026. The record-breaking heat this summer has taken care of that. Wherever water was available, ripening has accelerated dramatically over the past few weeks. At the same time, the widespread drought has produced small berries. Less juice, more skin, more concentration.
At first glance, that sounds like a luxury problem. Healthy grapes, plenty of ripeness, low rot pressure and substantial concentration are, after all, the sort of conditions German growers could only dream of for many decades. Today, however, circumstances like these immediately make me look one step further ahead. Especially with Riesling, maximum ripeness now matters far less to me than the question of how that ripeness actually tastes.
Does the fruit remain clear? Is the acidity still genuinely alive? Does the wine retain its lightness? How will the phenolics develop? And despite all that concentration, will it still have the drive and freshness I love so much in great Riesling? Must weight can only ever tell us a small part of that story.
Suddenly, rain becomes complicated
What I found particularly fascinating over the past few days was the changing role of water. For weeks, rain – or rather the lack of it – had been the main topic of conversation. Many young vineyards, and increasingly older ones too, were visibly under pressure. Vines on light soils with limited water-holding capacity, in particular, were being pushed to their limits.
Then, at the beginning of this week, rain arrived in parts of Baden, the Pfalz and Rheinhessen – unfortunately accompanied by some hail around Hohen-Sülzen. In principle, it was exactly the water many vineyards had been crying out for. Except that it has arrived at a moment when the situation has suddenly changed.
Many berries are already well into the ripening process. After a prolonged dry spell, they can absorb water very quickly. Internal pressure rises, the berries swell and, under sufficient strain, the skins can split.
The situation in the vineyard can then change in a matter of hours. Perfectly healthy fruit can suddenly become vulnerable to sour rot and other microbiological problems.
At the Kaiserstuhl, this is already beginning to happen. The main harvest there started exceptionally early, and berries in some vineyards are already showing the first cracks after the recent rainfall. The same issue is likely to become increasingly relevant in Rheinhessen over the coming days. The rain may benefit the vines while simultaneously narrowing the harvest window dramatically.
These are precisely the moments I find so fascinating in viticulture. A situation that would have been unequivocally positive ten days ago can suddenly become a serious challenge in mid-August. Even so, I would not want to be in the growers’ shoes right now. These rapidly changing conditions are making decisions about what to harvest – and when – considerably more difficult.
Precise timing matters more than maximum ripeness
Perhaps this will turn out to be the defining story of 2026. In my view, the best wines may come from growers who can now act quickly while still making highly differentiated decisions. Parcel by parcel. Those who can afford to do so may even have to work row by row. Because 2026 already looks extremely heterogeneous.
An old Riesling vineyard with deep roots on soil that retains water well can look superb at the moment. Just a few kilometres away, a young vineyard on a dry, shallow site may be suffering far more severely.
Even within a single estate, the differences can be enormous. That is precisely why broad-brush judgements about the vintage hold little interest for me at this stage. I am far more interested in who gets the timing right. Especially with Riesling, I can imagine that just a few days could make an enormous difference this year. Between fresh and broad. Between juicy and alcoholic. Between dense fruit and genuine tension. Between concentration and precision.
Ripeness used to be the goal. Today, it is the starting point.
For decades, one of the great challenges of German viticulture was getting grapes to ripen reliably at all. Today, in many of Germany’s finest sites, the question has changed completely.
We get ripeness. Sometimes an awful lot of it.
The real art increasingly lies in preserving freshness. This is changing how we look at vineyards and may eventually reshape our idea of which sites are particularly valuable. Cool side valleys become more interesting. Higher elevations gain in importance. East-facing slopes can suddenly offer a genuine advantage. Deep soils with good water-holding capacity become increasingly valuable. And in dry years, old vines demonstrate very clearly why an extensive root system can matter so much.
Sun is no longer in short supply in German viticulture. Slow ripening is becoming a luxury.
And then there is the acidity
Cool nights may be one of the finest gifts the 2026 vintage could receive at this stage. They slow the grapes’ metabolism, help retain acidity and extend the ripening window. With Riesling in particular, that window can ultimately determine whether a wine is defined primarily by ripeness and fruit or whether it also develops those crystalline contours that fascinate me so much.
Because that, for me, is where Riesling’s greatness lies. Density alone is rarely enough. I want energy. I want freshness. I want a wine that can be concentrated and still dance.
A wine with plenty to say that still feels light on the palate. The 2026 vintage already has substance in abundance. Now it needs balance.
What makes me optimistic after this weekend
For all my caution, I was very encouraged by much of what I saw. The grapes looked remarkably healthy in many vineyards. Older vines, in particular, were holding up surprisingly well in places, and the small berries could deliver enormous intensity of flavour. Younger vineyards, by contrast – especially on the Roter Hang near Nierstein – were clearly suffering.
The potential is undoubtedly there. At the same time, this vintage currently feels rather unsettled to me. Perhaps even slightly nervous. Development is moving quickly, the weather keeps changing the picture, and decisions in the vineyard matter more with every passing day. That is precisely why I believe 2026 could become an exceptionally fascinating grower’s vintage. Less because of cellar technique and much more because of two questions: When do I pick? And what do I pick?
Anyone simply chasing maximum ripeness risks losing the very qualities that make great Riesling so compelling. Those who know their vineyards, taste constantly and respond at the right moment, however, could bring some exceptionally promising fruit into the cellar. In my view, this may also require the courage to drop fruit in time – cutting bunches from the vine without harvesting them – to ease the strain on the plant and avoid jeopardising its survival under the continuing drought and heat.
Vintage charts can wait
I have little interest in assigning stars to a vintage in mid-August. Far too much can still happen over the coming weeks. Besides, the harvest has only just begun.
At the moment, 2026 is demonstrating with remarkable clarity just how quickly the situation can change. A few weeks ago, drought stress was the main concern. Then came the rain. Now, in some places, we are talking about split berries and an ever-narrowing harvest window. In some regions, picking is already in full swing. And it is August 19. That sentence alone probably tells us more about this vintage than any preliminary rating could.
For me, the truly fascinating phase begins now. Over the coming weeks, I will spend a great deal of time in the vineyards, particularly in Rheinhessen. I want to see how differently individual estates respond to these conditions, when they pick their individual sites and how quickly sugar, acidity and flavour continue to evolve.
Because my impression after this weekend is quite clear:
The 2026 vintage does not need more ripeness at any cost. More than anything, it now needs good timing.
If the nights remain cool, rainfall stays moderate and growers hit their harvest windows precisely, I can easily imagine this extraordinarily early ripeness producing something genuinely exciting.
Wines with density and concentration. But also with freshness, clarity and drive. That is exactly the combination I am hoping for. And rarely has there been so much happening in the vineyards by mid-August.
All Pictures © The Art of Riesling - Maximilian Kaindl