2002 VINTAGE charts
Positive Indications of Another Great Vintage
NEW YORK, April 23, 2003…Global warming? Enhanced quality initiatives? Increased attention to vineyard management? Call it what you will, Germany has another top vintage to offer, and quantities are more than 12 percent greater than the highly touted 2001 crop.This is especially good news for U.S. trade which is experiencing supply-side difficulties in meeting increased consumer demand.
Official statistics just released by the German Wine Grower’s Association indicate nearly 10.2 million hectoliters was harvested in 2002, just slightly higher than the average of the past ten years. The 2002 crop also nudged higher than 2001 in average ripeness (Oechsle levels) and acidity levels, and produced a greater percentage of Germany’s highest quality category, Qualitätswein mit Prädikat.
Final harvest statistics by region, as well as a 20-year perspective, follow.For complete information on the vintage year, please visit our web site: www.germanwineusa.org.
| REGION | Quantity harvested (hl) | Avg. Oechsle | Avg. Acidity g/l | % Tafelwein | % QbA | % QmP |
| AHR | 46,448 | 77 | 8.8 | 0.6 | 30.5 | 68.9 |
| BADEN | 1,369,363 | 81 | 8.1 | 1.0 | 44.8 | 54.2 |
| FRANKEN | 445,891 | 85 | 7.5 | 0.5 | 29.0 | 70.4 |
| HESS. BERGSTRASSE | 36,188 | 78 | 9.2 | - | 42.9 | 57.1 |
| MITTELRHEIN | 41,077 | 74 | 8.9 | - | 26.0 | 74.0 |
| MOSEL-SAAR-RUWER | 1,026,736 | 75 | 10.5 | 0.1 | 37.7 | 62.2 |
| NAHE | 411,542 | 80 | 9.2 | - | 30.6 | 69.4 |
| RHEINGAU | 306,037 | 82 | 8.9 | - | 36.0 | 64.0 |
| RHEINHESSEN | 2,703,867 | 78 | 8.4 | 0.3 | 42.7 | 57.0 |
| PFALZ | 2,415,687 | 76 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 50.3 | 48.8 |
| WÜRTTEMBERG | 1,314,398 | 76 | 8.4 | - | 43.9 | 56.1 |
| SACHSEN | 18,961 | 80 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 54.2 | 42.9 |
| SAALE-UNSTRUT | 39,758 | 77 | 9.3 | 0.5 | 89.7 | 9.8 |
| TOTAL GERMANY | 10,175,953 | 78 | 9.0 | 0.5 | 43.3 | 56.3 |
| Year | Harvested Quantity (hl) | Avg. Degrees Oechsle | Average Acidity (g/l) | % Tafelwein | % QbA | %QmP | White wine must % | Red wine must % |
| 1982 | 15,402,949 | 70 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 68.8 | 23.2 | 88.1 | 11.9 |
| 1983 | 13,040,937 | 75 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 51.0 | 46.5 | 88.0 | 12.0 |
| 1984 | 7,993,489 | 63 | 12.6 | 13.4 | 79.7 | 6.8 | 87.8 | 12.2 |
| 1985 | 5,402,394 | 76 | 9.3 | 0.1 | 40.3 | 59.6 | 90.7 | 9.3 |
| 1986 | 10,062,456 | 69 | 9.7 | 4.7 | 75.7 | 19.6 | 86.4 | 13.6 |
| 1987 | 8,942,386 | 69 | 10.1 | 1.9 | 77.1 | 21.0 | 86.5 | 13.5 |
| 1988 | 9,314,610 | 76 | 9.1 | 0.2 | 46.4 | 53.4 | 85.6 | 14.4 |
| 1989 | 13,226,232 | 76 | 8.6 | 0.6 | 51.5 | 47.9 | 85.0 | 15.0 |
| 1990 | 8,513,505 | 78 | 8.9 | 0.2 | 39.3 | 60.5 | 84.4 | 15.6 |
| 1991 | 10,169,962 | 71 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 73.5 | 24.0 | 85.0 | 15.0 |
| 1992 | 13,375,036 | 75 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 50.0 | 47.8 | 83.6 | 16.4 |
| 1993 | 9,718,333 | 79 | 8.2 | 0.3 | 33.6 | 66.1 | 80.8 | 19.2 |
| 1994 | 10,347,710 | 75 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 55.6 | 42.7 | 80.7 | 19.3 |
| 1995 | 8,510,134 | 71 | 10.6 | 1.6 | 74.3 | 24.0 | 79.7 | 20.3 |
| 1996 | 8,641,985 | 74 | 10.7 | 0.4 | 61.9 | 37.7 | 78.5 | 21.5 |
| 1997 | 8,494,813 | 80 | 8.1 | - | 29.9 | 70.0 | 77.9 | 22.1 |
| 1998 | 10,833,860 | 75 | 8.4 | 1.1 | 57.4 | 41.5 | 74.7 | 25.3 |
| 1999 | 12,285,970 | 78 | 7.7 | 0.4 | 44.5 | 55.1 | 74.2 | 25.8 |
| 2000 | 10,080,828 | 75 | 8.7 | 1.9 | 53.9 | 44.1 | 69.5 | 30.5 |
| 2001 | 9,081,322 | 77 | 8.8 | 0.4 | 45.4 | 54.2 | 68.7 | 31.3 |
| 2002 | 10,175,952 | 78 | 9.0 | 0.5 | 43.3 | 56.3 | 64.8 | 35.2 |