Germany sees number of wine businesses decline by a fifth in a decade, as industry consolidates

The number of vineyards and wine businesses in Germany has fallen by a fifth in a decade, as the industry has increasingly consolidated.
According to the German Wine Insitute, (DWI) the number of wineries and vineyards of over 0.5 hectares dropped by 20% from 19,046 to 15,151 in the ten years between 2010 and 2020. At the same time the area under vines has actually grown slightly, up by 3% to 99,854 hectares, with the average German vineyard also getting growing increasing by 29% in the ten years to 2020 to 6.6 hectares.
Increasingly, vineyards are being taken over by highly successful companies, claims DWI managing director Monika Reule. “This development is accompanied by an increasing professionalisation of the wine growing businesses,” she said.
While the number of wine producers and businesses in Rhineland-Palatineate has fallen by an above average 30% since 2010, it remained steady in Bavaria (Franken) and even increased slightly in the eastern federal states.
Around 10% of the total acreage dedicated to vineyards was farmed organically (9,579 ha), a 21% increase since 2016, representing a 21% increase in the number of businesses and 27% increase in terms of area.
Photography: German Wine Institute