Term for the yield of grapes harvested during the grape harvest, usually expressed in hectolitres of grape must or wine per hectare or in kilograms of grapes per hectare. Overseas, tons/acre is also commonly used. This is also used as a wine law specification, expressed as a maximum yield in hectolitres per hectare, for certain wine quality levels and can vary greatly depending on the country, wine-growing region, individual sites or even specific wines. In terms of vine density, there has been an extreme reduction over the last two millennia.
The Romans still recommended 50,000 vines per hectare; this ruled out mechanical cultivation of the vineyard from the outset. In the middle of the 19th century, the average density was still 20,000 vines per hectare, with yields of no more than 40 hectolitres per hectare. Today, the vines are planted 1.5 to 2 metres apart (depending on the country and wine-growing region, as well as any regional requirements).
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“