Print

Organic viticulture and its development

Organic viticulture and its development

The "modern conventional" viticulture with the aid of artificial mineral fertilizers and chemical synthetic spraying began from 1950. Until then one could describe the wine-making techniques as organic, had not a spraying agent with the name copper vitriol was used.

               

   This is how a vineyard sprayed with herbicides looks in Spring, no grass, no weed and no flowers grow

                           Conventional with herbicides cultivated vineyard in which nothing more grows but vines

 

The majority of the winegrowers expected for themselves of the then modern viticulture less work and higher harvest yields. Its disadvantage was apparent only some years later: winegrowers and workers in viticulture fell ill with handling of the pesticides,  the drinking water in winegrowing communities had poisonous residues of plant protection products, the soils eroded, microorganisms in the soil disappeared almost completely as well as all insects . The natural balance was lost in conventional farming, but the quality of wines did not improve by using chemicals which left harmful residues in it.


On the basis of these facts, organic viniculture was formed around the 1960s from winemakers who critically opposed "chemical" viticulture. Their credo was: a viticulture that harms our selves, the vines, the soil, the environment and which does not improve the wine, can’t be good for the wine consumer. Dedicated organic wine growers and scientists founded organic winegrowing associations, developed guidelines for organic viticulture, trained their members, controlled compliance with the directives, which later formed the basis for the EU-wide Eco-Regulation Organic viticulture and the marketing of wine from organically grown grapes

All quality-oriented winegrowers are convinced that the quality of a wine depends on 80 to 90% of their work in the vineyard. Accordingly, much working time is devoted to soil cultivation and care of the vines. Those who spend so much time and labor in the vineyard will work carefully in the wine cellar.

 

This is how an organic vineyard looks in Spring  with flowers and weeds and herbs

organic vineyard with numerous distinctive plants which contribute to the formation of an organically rich soil

 

The legally correct designation for the marketing purposes was from the date of the entry into force of Organic Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 not organic wine, but "wine made from organically produced grapes". The reason for this declaration was a lack of an EU-wide regulation on winemaking and its technology and tools.
With the entry into force of a new EU regulation of August 2012 which presupposes an organic farming without chemical synthetic spraying agents imposed minimum standards with regard to wine processing and above all, it limited the use of sulfur. The prerequisite is, however, that not only winegrowers, but also vendors of organic wine - even if they do not intervene in the cultivation or vinification - have to undergo a fee-based inspection (certification).