# Insurance for winegrowers, wine estates and wineries in Germany

> One frosty night in April or ten minutes of hail in July, and the vintage is lost. Meanwhile the cellar holds the wine of recent years in tanks, barrels and bottles, often worth more than the building. This page shows how winegrowers in Germany protect vines, cellar and sales, and where the federal state helps with the premium.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-winery.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Is frost insurance worth it for my vineyards?

In winegrowing, frost is now a bigger risk than hail, and hail insurance on its own does not pay for frost. Combined hail and frost insurance costs more, but Rhineland-Palatinate and other federal states subsidise it with up to 50 percent of the premium. For sites in hollows or with early budburst it almost always pays off. We compare the quotes and keep an eye on the subsidy deadline.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No compulsory insurance for winegrowing; motor liability for narrow track tractors and grape harvesters on public roads
- **Biggest risk:** Late frost and hail that wipe out the yield of a whole vintage
- **Basic cover from:** around €150 a year for the general liability of a small wine estate selling direct
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** SVLFG, the social insurance for agriculture; compulsory for winegrowers, family members working with them and harvest helpers
- **Often forgotten:** Tank rupture in the cellar: wine that runs out is not covered under burst pipe (Leitungswasser) cover
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 01.21 Anbau von Wein- und Tafeltrauben, 11.02 Herstellung von Traubenwein

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Late frost:** After budburst, one night below minus two degrees is enough to freeze the young shoots. Whole sites are lost for the vintage.
- **Hail:** Hail damages grapes and wood, the yield drops and the fruit rots. Often the following vintage is affected too.
- **Wine in the cellar:** An open valve, a cracked tank, a forklift against a pallet of bottles: vintages are stored in a small space and are expensive.
- **Spraying on steep slopes:** Drift onto housing, gardens or neighbours' organic vineyards leads to complaints and claims for damages.
- **Guests at the estate:** Wine tastings, a seasonal wine tavern (Straußwirtschaft), a harvest festival: falls on stairs and in the cellar are classic liability cases.
- **Tractors on steep slopes:** Rollovers with narrow track tractors and winch accidents are among the most serious accidents in winegrowing.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 3, Fire and water 5, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 5, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Natural hazard cover** (Essential): In the vineyard this role is taken by hail and frost insurance, which replaces losses in yield and quality for the vintage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers product liability for wine and sparkling wine, spray drift, guests at tastings and in the wine tavern, and environmental damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Insures wine stocks, tanks, barrels and cellar equipment against fire and burglary and, with an extension, against wine running out. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Car insurance** (Essential): Compulsory for narrow track tractors, grape harvesters and delivery vehicles on public roads. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Strongly advised): Press house, cellar, tasting room and farmhouse against fire, storm and hail at index linked new value. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For grape harvester, press, cooling and narrow track tractor against breakdown and accidents in the vineyard. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Secures running costs if the press house or tasting room is out of action after a fire during harvest. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Adds to the SVLFG for family and seasonal workers who work on steep slopes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

In winegrowing, crop insurance is priced per hectare and site, while cellar and liability depend on stock and turnover. An estate with a tasting room and wine tavern also needs the building blocks of hospitality.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Natural hazard cover | Hail insurance for vineyards, per hectare | around €60 to €120 a year |
| Natural hazard cover | Combined hail and frost insurance, per hectare, before subsidy | around €200 to €500 a year |
| Business liability | Wine estate with 10 hectares, direct sales and tastings | around €200 to €600 a year |
| Business contents | Wine stock and cellar equipment worth €400,000, including tank rupture | around €700 to €1,800 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Grape harvester with a new value of €250,000 | around €1,200 to €3,000 a year |

For comparison: Hail insurance for one hectare of vines costs about as much a year as ten to twenty bottles of estate wine bought at the cellar door.

_Guide figures excluding German insurance tax, as of September 2026. The hail range comes from published market examples; frost, cellar and machinery are guide figures from our own quoting. Rhineland-Palatinate subsidises combined hail and frost insurance with 50 percent of the premium up to a maximum per hectare. We obtain the exact quote._

- [hagelversicherung.online: Prämien je Hektar](https://hagelversicherung.online/)
- [Kreisverwaltung Ahrweiler: Ernteversicherungen im Weinbau](https://kreis-ahrweiler.de/land_natur_umwelt/landwirtschaft-weinbau/ernteversicherungen-weinbau-mehrgefahrenversicherung/)
- [Vereinigte Hagel: Förderung Mehrgefahrenversicherung Bayern](https://vereinigte-hagel.net/de/versicherungen/foerderprogramme-landwirtschaft/foerderung-bayern/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Part time** (Small winegrowers delivering grapes to a cooperative or winery): Natural hazard cover, Business liability, Car insurance. Together: around €500 to €1,500 a year for 3 hectares
- **Wine estate** (Estates bottling and selling their own wine, with cellar, tasting room and 10 to 20 hectares): Natural hazard cover, Business liability, Business contents, Commercial buildings, Car insurance, Machinery breakdown. Together: around €4,000 to €12,000 a year, less subsidy
- **Estate with guests** (Estates with a wine tavern, harvest festivals and seasonal workers): Natural hazard cover, Business liability, Business contents, Commercial buildings, Car insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Group accident insurance. Together: around €7,000 to €18,000 a year, less subsidy

## The worst day at the wine estate

Six things that really happen to winegrowers, squeezed into one single day between budburst and harvest. Tap through and see who pays.

- 05:30: After a frosty night the young shoots in the valley site have frozen. 4 hectares are largely lost for the vintage. (€52,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)
- 09:10: During pumping over, a valve is left open. 6,000 litres of Riesling run into the cellar drain. (€30,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 11:45: The sprayer catches the washing and garden pond in the new housing estate below. (€3,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 15:30: A guest at a tasting falls down the cellar stairs and breaks an arm. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 17:20: The afternoon hailstorm smashes grapes on 6 hectares just before harvest. (€45,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)
- 19:00: The grape harvester tips over on the slope, and hydraulics and cab are badly damaged. (€38,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)

**Damage so far:** €177,200

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure hail and frost together, because subsidy schemes usually require both perils in one combined policy.
- Watch the application deadline for the subsidy in your federal state; in Rhineland-Palatinate the application goes through the district administration and must be made again every year.
- Include wine running out of tanks and barrels expressly and adjust the sum after every harvest.
- Have tastings, the wine tavern and harvest festivals named in your general liability; they are not always included.
- For wine, check product liability for broken glass and foreign bodies, especially if you have sparkling wine made for you or bottle yourself.
- Protect your ability to work as well: SVLFG benefits are rarely enough after a rollover on a steep slope.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We calculate frost, hail and subsidy:** Which site is worth insuring depends on budburst, hollows and grape variety. As a broker we obtain quotes from several insurers and factor in the subsidy.
- **We know liquid damage:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know how to prove quantities and values properly after a tank rupture.
- **Vineyard, cellar and tasting room:** We look after harvest, buildings, guests, vehicles and your private cover with one contact, and can do it in English.
- **A family business since 1989:** Wine estates are often family affairs, and so are we. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### What does hail insurance cost in winegrowing?

According to published market examples, around €60 to €120 per hectare a year. With frost it becomes considerably more expensive, but several federal states offer a subsidy.

### Is frost insurance subsidised?

Yes, for example in Rhineland-Palatinate with 50 percent of the premium up to a maximum per hectare, if hail and frost are insured in one policy. Bavaria and other states also offer subsidies.

### Is wine that has run out in the cellar covered?

Only with an extension for escaping liquids or tank rupture. Burst pipe cover does not include it.

### Do I need separate insurance for a wine tavern?

It must be included in your general liability. An extension to the farm policy is often enough; for larger hospitality you need a separate block.

### Are harvest helpers insured?

At work they are covered by the SVLFG accident insurance as soon as they work for you. Register seasonal workers correctly.

### What about wine that breaks at the customer's end?

Breakage in shipping is paid by transport insurance or by the parcel service within its liability. If someone is injured by a bursting bottle, product liability pays.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-winery.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.