Climate protection wine topics
Climate protection. Now!
On "Earth Overshoot Day", we used up all natural resources that can regenerate and sustain the earth within a year. The consumption of natural resources is increasing every year and the "Earth Overshoot Day" is thus shifting further forward. This year, the earth's resources are already exhausted on 29 July. The biocapacity of the earth is 1.7 global hectares per person (gha) per year. On average, each person consumes 3.3 global hectares per year. The biocapacity of the earth is 1.7 global hectares per person (gha) per year. On average, each person consumes 3.3 global hectares per year. This consumption is also called ecological footprint. We overshoot the given frame and resort to the reserves of the earth that have been created over millions of years. This bill will not work forever. Source: https://www.wwf.de/earth-overshoot-day/ The production of food has been further perfected in recent decades by machine, crop protection and fertilizer use. In the interests of the consumer who wants to buy food in the desired quality and at low prices. But also in the interests of the producer, who today has to cultivate more land more rationally and with less personnel. The development is partly quite positive: Conventional land management is trying to cover up the use of resources for cost reasons. Within the framework of EU agricultural policy, there are programs that commit farmers and winegrowers to sustainable economic practices or finance voluntary measures. In organic or organic farming, a particularly environmentally friendly method of farming is practiced according to various guidelines. Consumers are increasingly incorporating health and environmental considerations into their purchasing decisions. In the foreseeable future, however, the current approaches and the pace hardly seem to be sufficient to curb climate change and environmental destruction. Politics is forced to act. Food producers and consumers are likely to see reforms. The rules are likely to be complicated, hard to reconcile and difficult to implement. It will take time for action to take effect and effects to become visible. Producers and consumers know best about their framework conditions and possibilities. If many adapted their own way of life to their own lives, the climate could be helped quickly and decisively.
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The first climate protection wine
The environment and climate are everyone's concern. Companies have a special responsibility. Our winery wants to make a contribution and tries to go new ways. The idea of a climate protection wine The idea for the production of a climate protection wine in the winery Burg Martini arises in the autumn 2018. The climate change influenced meanwhile also the viticulture. This is shown by the experiences in the foreign trade since 2000 in the winery. As a result of higher temperatures, reduced rainfall and prolonged periods of drought, the pressure on the Rhine slopes for the major diseases of the vine dropped significantly in most years. Mildew and Botrytis, except for a few exceptional years and in special situations, occurred less frequently or produced less serious clinical pictures in the case of infestation. In view of the general discussion on climate protection and sustainable land management, the intention was to make a contribution, individually for our winery. Against the background, new ways are to be explored and tested: in a suitable vineyard, grapes should ripen completely without pest control, fertilization and emissions. We have always considered this venture, which was hitherto unimaginable in conventional and organic / organic viticulture, worth the risk. The real challenge in the project is the high risk of loss of revenue. In the trial vineyard there will be a full harvest in the worst case a worst case total failure. The essential aspect is the unpredictable weather conditions during the year. They determine infestation and spread of the typical plant diseases on leaves and grapes of the vine. For example, major fungal diseases such as mildew or botrytis are promoted by humid-warm weather. This is counteracted in conventional and organic / organic viticulture by carrying out plant protection measures at regular intervals. Usually in pure precaution. For example, at the vineyard, the vineyards are used every 2 weeks with certain pesticides or tonics within a spraying or treatment plan. Over the course of the marketing year, significant amounts of pesticides of a chemical-synthetic nature or according to the guidelines of organic and organic wine-growing will be sprayed in up to 10 treatment sessions. This causes various environmental pollution and emissions through the use of work machines. A comparison in the figurative sense: Throughout the year, humans take precautionary antibiotics to rule out the disease, without knowing whether infections even reached it.
If the winemaker significantly changes or dilutes the recommended spray plans, the risk of reducing the quantity and quality of the grapes increases. Depending on the location and the weather, for example, the omission of spray paths would be quite possible. However, this is rare because the savings effect of pesticides and machinery usage is considered too low compared to the risk of yield reduction. However, the consideration disregards the environmental impact point of view. Our vineyard is trying new ways: In 2019, tolerable risks have been or will be taken for the benefit of nature in the event of foreseeable conditions. To spread the risk, one part of the operating areas is managed conventionally and the second with half the plant protection effort. The third area is our double zero experiment, completely dispensing with crop protection, fertilization, etc. and on machines with internal combustion engines. The experiment aims to show that the commonly practiced precautionary plant protection could be limited on a case-by-case basis. Foreseeable in 2019, our outdoor operations will cause about 50% less plant protection and machine use, and thus only about half of the environmental impact. The winemaker has always had to deal with risks in the company. With difficult to calculate external and self-determined risks. For example, if the harvest date is postponed in anticipation of higher qualities, in the extreme example for the production of ice wine. Similarly, the willingness to take risks in crop protection could be understood in the future. Of course, in decision-making authority of the winegrower, who determines the place and extent of the restrictions according to experience. Is the approach a curiosity or sustainable model? For companies, an economic approach seems acceptable only if risks are cushioned economically and existential threats are excluded. Advanced models in plant protection could become common practice for many companies if the risk were hedged. For example in the form of a new insurance, comparable to hail, or a compensation fund. The operating premiums could be financed from the savings on plant protection expenses. This would protect the winemaker and benefit nature or climate in any case. The bill should certainly come up when the so-called environmental costs are calculated, as it is expected in many sectors of the economy in the future.
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The "double zero" experiment
The "double zero" experiment: Riesling Vineyard in Steepsite Zero Crop Protection and Fertilization: 100% environmentally friendly due to the absence of chemical, biological / ecological pest control, no chemical, organic fertilizer or plant tonic. Zero emission: 100% climate friendly because no CO2 or pollutant emissions ie no use of working machines with internal combustion engines; if necessary, use only with regenerative power. The weather and an experienced winemaker's hands will determine the success. It will certainly not a large batch of wine, but one with incomparable contribution to climate change. Due to the changed management approach, operations can be summarized or saved. The business objective is not to increase overall workload and costs compared to conventional farming. In the context of adapted management, the natural self-regulation mechanisms of the grapevine should be better harnessed within the culture. Especially to ward off disease infestation or to curb the spread. This is a crucial aspect, since in the Experimental Vineyard, in contrast to the standard, no preventive or curative plant protection measures are carried out. The further weather and the choice of suitable cultural measures at the right time will determine the quantity and quality of climate protection grapes.
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The project vineyard
A vineyard with 52-year-old Riesling vines in a sheltered steep slope is the place of the experiment. Around 2,000 grapevines stand on 2,800 square meters of slate soil on a steep hillside with south-eastern sunlight. Shielded vineyard: Since the property is shielded from the surrounding, conventionally managed vineyards, the entry of foreign substances in the peripheral areas is almost impossible. The vineyard is separated from the neighboring vineyards on both sides by fallow plots, which are overgrown with grass, herbs and some shrubs. On the mountain side there is a farm road and an embankment, on the valley side a drywall and a farm road. Weinanbaugebiet: Mittelrhein Location: Oberweseler Römerkrug Framework of the location: The flared to the Rhine side valley with southeast slope orientation is characterized by a good ventilation. The slate weathering soil with loess-loam shares provides an average nutrient basis for the plants. Since around the year 2000, no chemically-synthetic or organic fertilizers have been introduced into the vineyard. Demanding is the dry-warm situation with only about 450 mm of precipitation per year, which can cause drought stress in unfavorable distribution. In this context, the Riesling vines benefit from their relatively old age, in which they could collect weather experience and rooted over 10 m deep. Farming: It is a standard plant in which the vines were planted longitudinally to the slope in 1963. The educational institution is a trellis wire frame, as it is still commonly used today on the Rhine and in wine-growing regions worldwide. Due to the partially over 50% slope, the vineyard was cultivated until 2018 in the cable or with chain tugs. Until last year, the soil treatment, the plant protection and the foliage work was done mechanically. The vineyard has been participating in the EU Steillagen program since about 2000, which requires environmentally sound management according to guidelines.
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