Austria wine harvest expected to drop 28 percent due to drought

Austrian winegrowers are facing a significant reduction in harvest yields for 2026 due to prolonged drought and extreme heat. The industry expects a total yield of approximately 1.7 million hectoliters, a 28 percent decrease compared to the average of 2021–2025. This follows a near-record harvest in the previous year, which reached roughly 2.6 million hectoliters.

Winegrowers president Johannes Schmuckenschlager stated in Vienna that the extreme dryness has left clear marks, resulting in much smaller berries. The regions of Lower Austria and Burgenland are particularly affected, with some areas like the Weinviertel expecting volume decreases of up to 40 percent.

While the lower volume presents economic and logistical challenges regarding capacity planning, the smaller berries may offer higher concentrations of aromatic substances, potentially leading to high-quality, expressive wines. Due to the heat, the harvest began unusually early in regions such as Lower Austria, Styria, and Vienna.