Insurers expect major payouts after severe frosts hit German vineyards
Insurer Allianz Agrar anticipates paying German winemakers tens of millions of Euros in insurance claims this year following heavy frosts that destroyed many vineyards’ entire harvests.
Earlier mild weather had accelerated shoot development, but freezing temperatures in late April caused extensive damage. Allianz Agrar described the frost event as the most severe in over 40 years, estimating claim payments, “in the double-digit million range”. The company is still assessing the full extent of the damages.
Germany is the fourth largest wine producer in the European Union. Vineyards in the southwest, particularly Baden-Wurttemberg and Franconia, were severely impacted. Other regions, such as Saxony and Saale-Unstrut, are also struggling with the extreme weather’s aftermath.
Warm temperatures until mid-April had advanced the growing season, making the vineyards more vulnerable to the subsequent cold snap, which saw temperatures plunge to minus seven degrees Celsius at night.
Despite the localised damage, the overall impact on Germany’s 2024 wine harvest is expected to be low, as Saxony and Saale-Unstrut represent only 1.3% of the country’s total vineyard area.
Allianz Agrar plans to visit over 30,000 vineyards in the coming weeks for final damage assessments. The company emphasised the importance of multi-risk insurance against extreme weather events. The German Wine Institute noted that while some vines might compensate through a second budding, the success of this is unpredictable.
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