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Mainz (AP) - The corona-related cancellation of Christmas markets in many cities is a heavy blow for the seasonal business with mulled wine.
The suppliers of the mulled wine stands at the Christmas markets have developed alternative distribution channels, which can only partially compensate for the loss of sales.
According to an industry estimate, at least 50 million liters of mulled wine are drunk in Germany every year - almost one bottle per head of the population.
According to data from the market research institute IRI, the number of mulled wine sold through retailers rose last year from 58.6 million to 61.2 million 0.75-liter bottles - this corresponds to an increase of almost two million to almost 46 million liters.
"Almost all of the Christmas markets are canceled, so we have no more hope," says the Rheinhessen winemaker Meik Dörrschuck, who has so far used a good quarter of his harvest for mulled wine and has sold it nationwide and in neighboring countries - mostly in 30 or 50 Liter containers to the operators of Christmas market stalls.
"We are in a challenging year, you have to be creative," says Dörrschuck.
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As early as the summer, his family thought about what else could happen and then developed the idea of home delivery of mulled wine: In a package for the “Christmas market @ home”, twelve bottles of mulled wine with two cups from Grandma Trude, the trademark, are sent of the mulled wine from the Schlossgartenhof in Lörzweiler.
This offer is well received nationwide, but cannot replace the business with the stalls of the Christmas markets, says Dörrschuck.
He estimates that 30 to 40 percent of the Christmas market sales could be covered with it.
In addition, his company relies on offers for online wine tasting - "Home office doesn't have to be dry."
This means that the winery will be able to make ends meet in the Corona year 2020 - "Please do not have a second Corona year".
For home delivery, an event agency in Lower Saxony even sends a special mulled wine taxi onto the streets around Nordhorn (Grafschaft Bentheim district).
And in Berlin, “mulled wine to go” is offered at several locations in accordance with the corona rules.
Information on the origin of the wines is not required for mulled wine.
Information on the growing area or a specific location is even prohibited.
Nevertheless, according to the German Wine Institute, there is a trend towards vintner mulled wine, in which the differences in taste between the grape varieties come into play.
Vintner Dörrschuck is hoping for a cold winter so that at least the frost will increase the demand for the hot wine if the Christmas markets are already canceled.