Bolzano – The 2026 South Tyrolean grape harvest has come to a close, and initial assessments by experts are positive. Despite a challenging year marked by extreme weather conditions, winemakers anticipate fruity, fresh white wines and promising, full-bodied red wines. This is primarily thanks to the expertise and adaptability of the winegrowers, who successfully guided their grapes through a very hot and dry summer.
The year 2026 began with an unusually early start to the growing season and an equally early peak of flowering. The summer months were marked by persistent heat and drought until, by the end of August, sufficient rain finally fell for the final ripening phase. The harvest began earlier than ever before in South Tyrol—as early as August 10 in the Burggrafenamt region and September 1 in the Eisack Valley.
How Winemakers Respond to Extreme Conditions
Ivan Giovanett of the Castelfeder Winery explained that South Tyrolean winegrowers had learned from previous hot vintages. They protected the grapes from excessive sunlight by pruning the leaves sparingly and used water in a targeted manner. Stefan Kapfinger, cellar master at the Meran Winery, pointed out that a denser canopy of leaves in the vineyard provides more shade, which reduces direct sunlight on the grapes and slows down the ripening process. A massive hailstorm in the Eisack Valley shortly before harvest posed a particular challenge; according to Hannes Baumgartner of the Strasserhof Winery in Neustift, it resulted in significant crop losses for the affected farmers.
Choosing the optimal harvest time required particular flexibility this year. Stefan Kapfinger explained that today, increasing attention is paid to individual vineyards and their specific conditions in order to achieve a balanced ratio of sugar, acidity, and aromatic ripeness. Lukas Mumelter from the Griesbauerhof in Rentsch confirmed that the grapes were consistently very healthy and had weathered the hot temperatures well in terms of flavor. Ivan Giovanett described the harvest as „extremely encouraging.“.
The 2026 vintage of white wines is expected to produce full-bodied, round, and fruit-forward wines with a better-than-expected acidity profile. Chardonnay, in particular, is shaping up to be a great vintage. For red wines, experts also see very good conditions for full-bodied, complex, and long-aging wines. Stefan Kapfinger predicted red wines with more intense color, greater breadth, and more body, offering high aging potential. Lukas Mumelter anticipates full-bodied wines with ripe, pleasant tannins that will be approachable early on. Pinot Noir is showing deep color and plenty of structure, and the Lagrein was perfectly ripe.
