Luxembourg’s Moselle Vineyards See Early, High-Quality Grape Harvest Amid Shifting Climate

Harvest season is underway along the Moselle River in Luxembourg, where vineyard workers are busy picking grapes that growers describe as “golden and healthy.” At Domaine viticole Krier-Welbes in Wellenstein, owner Guy Krier and his team began harvesting chardonnay early this week. Chardonnay is especially important for sparkling wines produced in the region. According to Krier, the weather this year has been nearly ideal for grape growing. The season started hot and dry, followed by regular but moderate rainfall. This allowed the vines to develop well and kept disease at bay. “The grapes are golden and healthy. There isn’t a single rotten berry,” Krier said.

Krier manages 15 hectares of vineyards and hopes the entire harvest will match the quality of the first grapes picked. This year, he plans to produce late-harvest gewurztraminer and riesling, a goal that has been difficult in previous years due to rapid spread of rot. “In past years, rot advanced too quickly, making it hard to keep grapes on the vine long enough for specialties like late-harvest wines,” he explained.

For this year’s harvest, Krier relies on three permanent staff members and nine seasonal workers. He notes that finding workers is less challenging than before, partly because more vineyards now use machines for harvesting, which leaves more people available for manual work. Krier also serves as president of the independent winegrowers’ association.

The harvest is running about ten days ahead of schedule this year. Marc Fiedler, head of viticulture at Luxembourg’s Institut viti-vinicole, reported that heavy rain—about 40 liters per square meter—fell overnight earlier this week in Remich. While there was no hail, which can devastate crops, the rain could weaken grape skins and increase the risk of rot. Before this rainfall, conditions were normal with only minor signs of rot on pinot gris and pinot blanc varieties. Fiedler said that if there is no further heavy rain, growers will need to pick quickly to preserve grape quality.

Climate change is having a clear impact on Luxembourg’s 1,200 hectares of vineyards. Serge Fischer, director of the Institut viti-vinicole, observed that flowering and ripening dates are becoming earlier each year. This exposes vines to greater risk from late spring frosts. Higher temperatures and increased rainfall also raise the threat of fungal diseases that have already appeared further south in Europe.

These changes are affecting which grape varieties are planted in Luxembourg. Demand for traditional varieties like rivaner and elbling is declining, while interest in crémant—a sparkling wine—continues to grow. As a result, more pinot noir, pinot blanc and chardonnay vines are being planted because they tolerate heat better.

Many growers are experimenting with southern grape varieties that are more resistant to disease. However, Fischer points out that choosing new varieties is complicated because vines remain productive for 30 to 40 years and some years still bring normal weather patterns. In experimental plots, southern varieties such as syrah sometimes fail to ripen fully when cooler years occur.

As harvest continues along the Moselle, growers remain focused on bringing in grapes quickly to maintain quality amid changing weather patterns and evolving vineyard practices.