Luxembourg: Grape harvest on the Moselle starts with “à la carte” conditions

On Monday, numerous grape pickers and tractors were in action along the Moselle to mark the start of the grape harvest. At Henri Ruppert’s in Schengen, they had already started a few days ago. “At the moment, we are harvesting the Auxerrois to make Crémant.” We have also already harvested some Pinot Noir because it is infested with the spotted wing drosophila. “You have to be careful because that can ruin the harvest,” explained the winemaker.

Apart from the fly, things are looking good for the grape harvest. “The weather for the next two weeks looks great, especially nice and dry. This will soon be a ‘grape harvest à la carte’. And the health of the white grapes is excellent,” added Ruppert.

This year, Henri Ruppert hopes to produce between 130,000 and 140,000 liters. Last year, he produced 90,000. “The heavy rains just before the start of the harvest accelerated the rotting of the berries,” he explains. His vineyard consists of 80 percent Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Due to the rainy spring and summer, downy mildew has attacked the plots this year. “You can see it on the leaves practically everywhere, but we managed to protect the grapes.” The frost in April also damaged some of the plots.

22 grape pickers are working to harvest the grapes from Ruppert’s 22 hectares. “If the grapes are as healthy as the white ones this year, we can harvest 50 to 60 ares per day. In the plots affected by frost, we can even manage more than one hectare per day.”