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German Wineries Are Running Out of Bottles 

German Wineries Are Running Out of Bottles 

(Bloomberg) --

Production constraints in Germany are putting the squeeze on the country’s wine industry.

After the best harvest in a decade, vintners are struggling to find enough bottles, and waiting periods have increased to as long as three months, said Ernst Buescher at the German Wine Institute.

German Wineries Are Running Out of Bottles 

While suppliers typically resort to imports during production bottlenecks, that’s proving more difficult after strong production in Italy, Spain, and France. Across Europe, winemakers saw harvest volumes surge nearly 20 percent last year.

German Vintage Kicks Off Early After Heat and Sun Spell: Chart

A spike in demand for glass containers may also be related to higher use among soft-drink makers. Their orders are typically larger and more regular, and therefore more cost-effective to fill than those by wine producers for many different shapes and colors.

Capacity shortages aren’t unique to the wine industry. Companies across Germany are struggling to keep up production amid a lack of workers and still-full order books.

To contact the reporter on this story: Carolynn Look in Frankfurt at clook4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Jana Randow

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