Salzburg winegrowers expect an early, strong harvest

Salzburg’s winegrowers are looking ahead to an early harvest and a good yield, unlike their counterparts in eastern Austria, according to ORF. The hot summer has brought an earlier harvest in the east as well, but with noticeably lower yields.

On the Mönchsberg city mountain in Salzburg, grapes of the early red Veltliner variety are already waiting to be picked. Scouts cultivate the vines there. During this year’s record-dry summer, the grass helped protect against evaporation and kept the vines at least somewhat moist.

The scouts are cautiously forecasting 600 bottles or more from their 17th vintage. “If the weather stays like this, I could imagine producing 600 bottles or a little more again,” said Hans-Georg Keplinger, chairman of the Salzburg Scouts’ wine operation. However, he warned that the yield could fall to 400 bottles within a day if the weather changed, or that the entire harvest could be lost if the grapes developed an acetic smell.

The sugar content was measured at almost 15 sugar degrees, an average result. Keplinger said another degree would be desirable and could develop within three days if the weather remained stable. The presence of some rotten grapes among the ripe fruit shows that the harvest cannot be delayed for long.

A nearby vineyard between the Mönchsberg and Rainberg is at a different stage. Its 2,000 vines are not yet ready for harvesting: the leaves are lush green and the grapes are large, but still too acidic. The harvest is scheduled for early October.

“We are very confident,” said Gabriel Franzmaier, the junior manager of the Mönchsberg winery. Its Concorde and Isabella varieties are robust, and the winery expects a better yield this year than in 2025. The vines’ south-facing position and deep roots help supply them with moisture. The winery also deliberately avoided pruning this year so the leaves would provide as much shade as possible.