Overview
- About 3,400 producers in Franconia report a swift harvest and stalled retail sales as price competition intensifies.
- Association officials say production costs have risen roughly 30–40% while market conditions limit price increases.
- Imports account for six in ten bottles consumed in Germany, reducing domestic market share, according to LWG data.
- Climate trends have compressed operations, with the bloom‑to‑harvest period down to about 96 days and picking condensed from four weeks to two.
- Yields are around 72 hectoliters per hectare with roughly two Bocksbeutel per vine and average must weights near 87° Oechsle; the sector seeks funding and a meeting with Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer as tourism‑linked wineries show greater resilience.