Germany’s vineyards shrink slightly

Germany’s wine industry is under pressure from rising costs, lower consumption, changing drinking habits and international competition, but experts say it is too early to call the growing number of bare vineyard plots a broad crisis.

In the Rhine and Moselle valleys, where steep terraces and tightly planted vines shape some of the country’s best-known landscapes, empty rectangular patches are becoming more visible. Similar gaps also appear in flatter wine regions. The question now is whether those plots signal a lasting retreat from viticulture or only temporary fallow land as growers adjust to a weaker market.

According to the German Wine Institute in Bodenheim near Mainz, Germany had about 102,000 hectares of vineyard area in 2025, roughly 1,300 hectares less than the year before. Most of that decline came in Baden-Württemberg, where about 800 hectares disappeared, said Ernst Büscher, a spokesman for the institute. He said the region’s large share of red wine production may be part of the reason, since red wine has been losing ground to white wine among consumers.

The Rheingau in Hesse also saw a decline of about 60 hectares, while the Moselle valley in Rhineland-Palatinate lost about 160 hectares, much of it in steep slopes that require far more labor than flat vineyards. Büscher said a well-mechanized flat vineyard needs about 200 work hours per hectare each year, while a steep slope can require 1,000 hours.

Still, Büscher said Germany’s vineyard area has hovered around 100,000 hectares since the late 1990s. He said a larger long-term decline could come only if wine consumption keeps falling.

Hesse’s agriculture ministry said the sector is undergoing structural change but said it does not see evidence of a crisis-driven collapse in vineyard area. Andreas Brokemper, chief executive of the sparkling wine producer Henkell Freixenet in Wiesbaden, also described the situation as one of adjustment pressure rather than a clear trend toward more permanent fallow land.

The distinction between temporary and permanent abandonment matters. Peter Seyffardt, president of the Rheingau wine growers’ association, warned that permanently abandoned plots can turn into poorly cleared sites known as Drieschen, where roots remain in the soil. He said those areas can become breeding grounds for phylloxera, leafhoppers and fungal diseases that can spread to neighboring vineyards.

Seyffardt also said neglected plots can hurt tourism in regions that depend on their cultural landscape. Visitors come to the Rheingau for its monasteries, castles and vineyards, he said, and a visible decline in that scenery could reduce the region’s appeal.

To prevent permanent abandonment, the Rheingau wine growers’ association is building a land exchange platform to match growers with available parcels. Seyffardt said that if vineyards are permanently removed from production, other uses may make sense, including olive trees, lavender or hemp. He also mentioned grazing animals on former vineyard land or using it for direct sales or even a mobile wine stand or campsite.

Temporary fallow land is different. Growers may leave parcels idle for market relief, longer-term observation or soil improvement. Baden-Württemberg plans to subsidize these rotational fallows if growers plant flowering species on them. The German Wine Growers’ Association wants that support expanded nationwide.

Seyffardt said such cover crops can improve humus levels, water retention, soil health and biodiversity. Under recent legal changes, he said, rotational fallow land can be maintained for nearly 13 years without losing planting rights.