Hamburg missed the chance to return to the top of the Bundesliga standings as a 13-minute goal blitz secured Wolfsburg a superb home win against the title hopefuls.
Ashkan Dejagah set the ball rolling for the hosts with the opener after 15 minutes before further strikes from Alexander Madlung (23) and Grafite (28) had the game all but wrapped up inside half an hour.
The win was the second of the season for Felix Magath's troops, who are unbeaten after five games and sit sixth in the standings on nine points, while Hamburg drop to fourth on 10 points - level with Hoffenheim and Stuttgart.
Hamburg, who led the way in the German top flight prior to this weekend, started the better team but it was Wolfsburg who went ahead, Marcel Schafer sending over a cross from the left for Dejagah to volley beyond Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost.
The hosts doubled their advantage eight minutes later when Sascha Riether crossed from the right wing and Madlung arrived right on cue to slam the ball home.
And two became three just five minutes later when a brisk Wolfsburg counter-attack down the left was finished off by Grafite's deft lob over the advancing Rost.
Hamburg had a decent chance to pull a goal back but Andrea Barzagli slid in to block David Jarolim's attempt on the hour mark, while the rest of the game descended into little more than a midfield scrap as the Wolves doggedly defended their handsome lead.
