Early German harvest as sun ripens grapes

SCHLIENGEN, Germany (AFP) Aug 11, 2003
Vintners in southwestern Germany began harvesting their grapes Monday, three weeks earlier than normal because of the unusually hot weather, a producer said.

Karl-Ernst Zimmerman, a vintner near the town of Schliengen, close to the French border, said the high temperatures raised hopes of a particularly good Findling vintage for the year.

He said that thanks to the added sunshine, Findling grapes this year had a specific gravity, or sugar content, of 95 Oechsle, some 20 Oechsle higher than normal.

The Oechsle scale is a German system used to establish the quality levels of wine.

Only about 50 hectares (123 acres) of Findling grapes, which give a white wine, are grown in Germany.

TERRA.WIRE