As has been the case for almost two decades now, I had the opportunity to attend the excellently organized VDP preview this year. The extremely sunny and dry 2022 vintage was followed by 2023, which was a warm year overall, but balanced thanks to a good water supply. In turn, 2024 presents itself as a decidedly classic vintage - characterized by finesse and invigorating freshness.

Many wines are wonderfully bright, with expressive, multi-layered fruit - beyond simple citrus notes or superficial tutti-frutti stone fruit aromas. Although the wet late summer also brought challenges such as rot, those who selected consistently, accepted low yields and brought the healthy grapes to the press quickly were able to achieve excellent qualities.

For three days, I tasted my way through around 400 "Grosse Gewächse" - that much in advance. There were numerous outstanding Riesling wines in particular that impressed me and were rated accordingly highly in the 100-point system. In Rheinhessen and the Nahe in particular, but also selectively in the Palatinate, Mosel and Rheingau, the top wines impressed with expressive, terroir-driven wines of great depth.


The Pinot Noirs do not quite reach the outstanding class of the exceptional 2022 vintage, but overall they are very accessible and easy to drink. Fürst, Huber and some wineries from the Palatinate in particular delivered great Pinots with style and elegance in this charming year.

Overall, this is an elegant, early accessible vintage in which - unlike in previous years - physiological ripeness was the most important factor. An almost unusual picture in times of climate change, where the focus has recently often been on slowing down ripeness and sugar concentration. The quantities of the 2024 vintage are small. According to the VDP, the last time there was a similarly low harvest was in 2010.

2024 will go down in history as a vintage "with low yields but high expressiveness". The VDP wineries see increased diversification of their sales channels and a strengthening of exports as ways out of the ongoing wine crisis. This is because the increasingly difficult domestic market, which accounts for around 75 percent of sales, continues to dominate events.

• a detailed vintage analysis with opinions on the vintage
• detailed tasting notes from region to region with best lists
• Interviews with the leading winemakers / heads
• Best of list of the TOP 100
• List of particularly recommendable wines
• Notes from TOP wineries outside the VDP

Winegrowers and retailers also have the opportunity to download the points badges, tasting notes and certificates digitally and customized in the already well-stocked FINE WINE GUIDE database.