The representative of the general assembly of the winemaking cooperative in Freiburg (Burgenlandkreis) said that the two weakest crops in 2018 and 2019 would reduce the stock of the cooperative.
Instead of the approximately 3 million liters of wine that have been offered on the market in recent years, the winegrowers association now produces just 2.6 million liters. They grow grapes on an area of 400 hectares of vineyards, mainly in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
In the absence of rain, the soil in the vineyards in the last two summers was extremely dry, in some places the natural reserves of water in the soil were used up. That is why the cooperative will intensively deal with the topic of irrigation in the next few years. “We cannot do it alone,” said Hans Albrecht Zieger, managing director of the winegrowers association.
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Winemakers are dependent on financial assistance, such as subsidies. So far, according to Zieger, 5% of the vineyards of the association have been equipped with drip irrigation hoses in months with little rainfall. In order to be able to supply vines on a larger scale, infrastructure is needed, for example, using lakes to store rainwater.
The previous two summers had so much influence on the vines in the cooperative area that even in ideal conditions large yields could not be expected this year. In the wine-growing region, which is more than 1000 years old, many grape varieties grow on 770 hectares, including Muller-Thurgau, Sylvaner , Riesling, Dornfelder and Portuguese. In terms of area, it is one of the smallest of 13 quality wine regions in Germany.
- This year, Koblevo PJSC harvested 400 tons of grapes per day, which is a record for the company. In general, during September, Koblevsky winegrowers harvested more than 10 thousand tons of grapes, which is 16% less compared to last year's harvest.
- The vineyards of Brandenburg (Germany) suffer from the massive breeding of raccoons. Every night, grapes are attacked by these animals, according to a local winemaker.
- French startup Vitibot introduced the all-electric Bakus robot tractor, which is designed to care for vineyards. The machine measures 1.65 x 3.50 x 1.75 m and weighs 2.5 tons. He is able to work on steep slopes, takes little energy and does not compact the soil, as reported on the startup website.
