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What is the inside word on the 2025 vintage?
© Sandra Fehr
We asked winemakers in Portugal, France, Italy, Germany and Austria. And they all agree: ‘It's going to be great!’
2025 looks set to be a superlative vintage. Different wine regions are reporting that the harvest is taking place earlier, faster and the grape quality is better than ever.
Forecasts & potential
The harvest at Herdade do Rocim began on 30 July in the Vidigueira sub-region of Alentejo. There were many hot days but the granite soils and morning Atlantic fog kept the grapes fresh.
“In general, we try to avoid irrigation. The result is smaller yields, but more concentrated grapes," explains PEDRO RIBEIRO, who runs Rocim winery with his wife CATARINA VIEIRA. "Our old, non-irrigated vineyards – some of which are more than 75 years old – have proven particularly resilient to the sudden heat. We are also responding to climate change by adapting our canopy management so the grapes receive more shade.”
To protect the younger vines from the sometimes extreme temperature fluctuations – on some days the swings can be as much as 30 °C – minimal irrigation is used.
© Herdade do Rocim
“We expect the 2025 vintage wines to offer a balance of freshness, minerality and vibrant acidity, with plenty of depth and structure."
Complexity, finesse and freshness are also the result of a longer maturation period, especially in amphorae. “But that also carries a risk,” says Ribeiro, because “spontaneous fermentation – without added yeasts or temperature control – requires precision. When it succeeds, it produces wines of unique elegance.“
“After a relatively mild year in terms of weather, there was a heatwave in July and early August,’ reports FRANCISCO FERREIRA from Quinta do Vallado, which is also a member of the Douro Boys. This accelerated ripening, which led to lower yields than 2024. “However, the quality of the grapes is excellent! The white and particularly the red grape varieties (from which we also vinify our Port wines), look very promising. The wines show every sign of being both concentrated and powerful.”
In Alsace, the harvest began earlier than ever before. On 19 August, grapes for Crémant production were harvested – ten days earlier than in 2024. On 25 August, the official start of the harvest for still wines began under excellent conditions. Due to subsequent rain, meticulous sorting of the grapes was necessary in order to produce the usual top quality. At the same time, smaller quantities are expected than in previous years; the summer drought and heat have reduced the berry size. However, this has resulted in a particularly fine sugar-acid balance in the wines. The base wines of the Crémants already show a lively freshness and tension. The red wines from the 2025 vintage are also eagerly awaited – thanks to the cool days at the end of the ripening period, they promise to be particularly fresh and fruity.
The Tramin winery in Alto Adige also started harvesting earlier than usual in all locations. “What is special this year is that the difference in ripeness between high (up to 850 m) and lower (from 220 m) altitudes is not as pronounced as usual,” emphasises cellar master WILLI STÜRZ. In addition, the harvest period has been compacted this year, due to the changeable weather. This is where the structure of the traditional cooperative, which is made up of many small winemaking families, proves to be advantageous: “We can act very flexibly and harvest the grapes with optimal ripeness and health within a very short time.” It is still too early to make a forecast for the 2025 vintage, but “a good colour structure – resulting from the cool July, especially in the red wines – as well as pronounced aromatics and freshness are already apparent,” says Stürz.
© Florian Andergassen
“With increasing bottle age, the wines gain complexity, depth and harmony. However, the challenge lies in ensuring the ideal conditions so that the bottles can age slowly and harmoniously at a consistently low temperature.”
This is particularly true of Epokale. The flagship wine of Tramin winery is considered an absolute rarity, a cult wine that combines patience and perfection. It matures under perfect conditions at 2,000 metres above sea level in a former mining tunnel. Absolute silence, darkness and a constant temperature of 11 °C and 90 percent humidity – these are the parameters. And Epokale stands for time like few other icons: Epokale 2017 will be launched on the market in November.
PRINCE FELIX OF SALM-SALM, whose family has been producing wine for more than 800 years, speaks of a “vintage of the century”. Nevertheless, the 2025 harvest was a challenge for him and his wife VICTORIA and the harvesting team. The winery cultivates vineyards in two German regions, Bingen (Rheinhessen) and Wallhausen (Nahe), and climatic changes have caused the ripening period in the two areas to converge. The forecast for bad weather in September was an added time pressure, meaning the harvest had to be completed faster than ever before. Their efforts have been rewarded with outstanding quality – “aromatic, dense and elegant“.
“Absolutely perfect!” – that's how CHRISTOPH GRAF, CEO at sparkling wine producer VAUX sums up the 2025 harvest, which began early on 22 August and was completed in record time in Eltville on 8 September. “The conditions at the beginning were fantastic: the most beautiful, healthy grapes and optimal ripeness. There were no hot days during the harvest and, fortunately, we were not affected by the bad weather in September,” says Graf. He looks back on a calm vintage without any freak weather conditions: “We were completely spared from storms and severe infections – thank God!"
Sparkling wine production requires not only time but the necessary finesse. VAUX relies on particularly gentle processing. While the first fermentation – in barrels, stainless steel or amphorae depending on the variety – ensures stabilisation, the subsequent maturation on the lees lends complexity, richness of aroma and character. “The duration of the lees ageing varies depending on the style, grape variety or cuvée and origin,” explains Christoph Graf.
For 2025, VAUX expects “fine, mature yet light and delicate base wines again. The recently fermented wines are currently quite playful, aromatic and have a stimulating fruitiness.”
“By our standards, we started the main harvest relatively late this year, on 9 September,” reports PAUL ACHS, a leading winemaker from Gols in Austria’s Burgenland. A special feature of 2025 is that Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Chardonnay all feature good physiological ripeness and low sugar levels. “I am still cautious about predicting whether it will be a very good vintage. But one thing is certain: it will definitely strike a chord with the spirit of the times – with less alcohol, elegant, profound and yet light-footed, with a beautiful interplay of sweetness and acidity.” The only downside is the bad weather from mid-September onwards. However, Paul Achs has an advantage, because hand-picking ensures perfect grapes even when it rains during harvest.
“We're expecting a sensational vintage in Carnuntum, as our region, which often suffers from drought, was repeatedly blessed with small amounts of rainfall during the growing season. This made plant protection challenging at times, but the vines relished every drop of rain," reports CHRISTINA NETZL. By harvest time, which also began on 9 September, the results were magnificent. The grapes were “wonderfully healthy and at physiological maturity, without being too ripe,” says Netzl, who expects aromatic, fresh wines and is confident: “2025 will be exceptionally good!”
ALBERT GESELLMANN began on 21 August with hand picking his Zweigelt grapes for the ‘Flein’ rosé grape juice – a new project from the Deutschkreutz winemaker with MARIA AND MICHAEL GROSS. This was followed by the native Blaufränkisch grapes for the new vintage of Blaufränkisch Rosé Brut, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and the early-ripening red varieties such as Pinot Noir Ried Siglos and St. Laurent. “Then we focused on our top Hochberg vineyard,” says Gesellmann. Following the Gemischter Satz hochberc weiss, hand-picking of the Blaufränkisch hochberc began on 23 September, shortly before the rain front arrived. “We are extremely happy with the quality of the grapes,” says a delighted Albert Gesellmann. The predominantly dry, hot summer resulted in small berries with thick skins, which favours an exceptionally intense expression of colour and aroma.
© Weingut Gesellmann
“Due to the partly cool temperatures during the September nights, we expect wines with clear, radiant fruit and delicate aromas. Blaufränkisch in particular shows a beautiful spiciness, juicy structure and precise acidity, which gives the wines elegance and freshness. For the other varieties, we also anticipate a vintage characterised by balance, finesse and good ageing potential rather than fullness and opulence."
And this long shelf life, this “sustainable enjoyment”, is essential for Albert Gesellmann. “Our wines are not only delightful when young, but unfold their true potential after maturing for 10, 15 or 20 years.” Longevity is an essential feature of his signature, and so the winery's flagship wines, such as Blaufränkisch hochberc and Cuvée G, undergo an exceptionally long maturation period of 30 and 40 months in oak barrels. The big advantage: “We can offer our customers wines that not only delight them in the moment but also provide moments of enjoyment even after many years of storage.”
"This year, we harvested in a record time of just nine days and finished in time before the heavy rain. The logistics, the harvest workers, the processing in the cellar – everything was challenging and could only be accomplished with great teamwork and planning down to the last detail," recalls STEFAN KRISPEL. Up to 400 people carried out the 100 percent manual harvest at the winery in Styria's Vulkanland region. “I am grateful to every single one of them!” 2025 is a great vintage for Krispel – after a perfect year with enough rainfall and no extreme weather such as frost or hail, the grapes were harvested with perfect physiological ripeness and a harmonious balance of sugar and acidity.
© brobrothers
“Super aromatic, with moderate alcohol and a beautiful acidity structure. This is a great 2025 vintage!”
VERENA LANGMANN, who runs her West Styrian winery with her father Stefan, also harvests entirely by hand. “It's always a challenge to determine the perfect time to harvest,” she says. “It takes a lot of patience, resilience, perseverance and even a bit of luck with the weather to bring the best possible quality into the cellar.” Apart from hail in some vineyards at the end of May, the Langmanns are satisfied with the vintage. “The days before the harvest saw fantastic temperature fluctuations with warm days and cool nights. As a result, we expect wines lots of clear, fresh fruit. I also think that the vintage will bring a lot of concentration and maturity.” But first, the wines will now be given time to develop.
© Anna Stoecher
“Spontaneous fermentation and a long period on the lees allow the wine to fully express its origins. In addition, the slow and gentle ageing process makes it ideal to cellar.”
