Can grapes get sunburned?
June 21, 2023 was midsummer , 16+ hours of daylight . The sun rarely shines that long! If you're sensible, you avoid sunburn in the summer weeks by using sunscreen. But how do we protect our grapes from sunburn? AND: Can grapes even get sunburned?
Photo: sunburned grapes
The answer is yes! They may not turn bright red (like us humans), but they do visibly dry out and their skin shrivels (like us humans). So what can we do? We can't really apply sun protection factor 50 to every little hair (the thought alone makes us pale!).
An old pirate saying goes: " What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." This is exactly the principle we winegrowers use. In other words: we remove the leaves from the grape zone during these weeks so that more light and sun can reach the grapes. What now? Sun against sunburn? Exactly. Sounds crazy, but it's true. Due to the exposed location, the baby grapes get a thicker skin early on and are thus more resistant to the extreme UV radiation. So we give them a natural rhino treatment, so to speak.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have been busy building the foliage wall (by hand) over the past few weeks. Now the foliage has stopped growing and the vines should concentrate fully on their baby grapes (their fruit set). So that they can hear the shot, the vines are now being " topped " . This means that they are being trimmed at the top and sides. This creates a whole series of rectangular "vine squares" that are ideal for ripening the grapes.
Photo: 1st picture before - 2nd picture after the leaf work.
But June has more to offer than the race against time in the vineyards. If you work hard, you can also enjoy hard! Every year the traditional St. John's Fire takes place here in Weyher. It goes back to John the Baptist, but to be honest, today we are more interested in the cool spritzer and the crispy bratwurst than in the church holiday... Every year the local young winemakers light the fire at the entrance to Weyher at around 10 p.m. when it starts to get dark. Jürgen Graf was himself the chairman of the voluntary young winemakers' association for years, but today he - like the rest of the village - goes to the fire to enjoy the evening with old friends and casual conversation. In the past, people celebrated in the forest, but today they celebrate at the entrance to the village, because the risk of forest fires has increased enormously in recent decades.
Photo: St. John's Fire in Weyher/Palatinate
This year we have had very little rainfall. We look enviously at the rain clouds that seem to sail past us more haughtily and settle somewhere else. It's a good thing we've prepared with robust grape varieties!
If you are looking for a shady spot in the heat, you should come to our forest hut Amicitia. It is located in the coolest spot in the Palatinate Forest: in the valley, surrounded by trees and with seven springs that rise from there. So if you want to take a breath of fresh air , you should plan a short hike into the forest.
Our estate bar is also open. With large umbrellas and a well-chilled glass of wine, life in our garden is bearable. Let's enjoy the beautiful side of summer together...
Your sunburnt counts
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