Red wine in the stream: land of milk and honey?

Did you ever wonder, as a child, if the land of milk and honey was really as idyllic as it sounds? Is it really that great to have a roast chicken in your mouth every time, poof!, even when you just want to yawn or laugh out loud? And is it really that great when it rains honey (of all things!)? Would you still appreciate wine if it just came out of the well?

A winemaker from Edesheim, less than 3 km from us, probably wasn't thinking of the land of milk and honey when he decided to flood the Modenbach stream with 30,000 liters of red wine a few weeks ago. Passersby, who were astonished to see the water suddenly so red and smelling intensely of wine, might have been more so. Was this a fairytale come true? They were amazed... until they found the pipe that led directly from the tank into the water.

So, anything but a land of milk and honey—quite the opposite. The fish didn't tolerate it well, an investigation is underway for water pollution, and such measures are rightly punished harshly as environmental offenses.

The biggest wine crisis ever

But let's ask ourselves how it's possible for someone to want to dump an entire tank of red wine (without excusing it). Indeed, the wine industry is currently experiencing its worst crisis in memory. And before you ask: Yes, it's even worse than after the World Wars. But why is that? A multitude of different factors are currently converging:

Supply is far higher than demand

Until the 1980s, there were clear regulations governing wine cultivation. These precisely defined which areas could be used for viticulture. These rules were relaxed at that time, allowing much more wine to be grown today – and since everything in winemaking takes about 30 to 50 years to become established, we are now seeing the results. In addition, China has rapidly developed as a wine-producing and exporting country in recent years and now even produces more wine than France! We are literally awash in wine (the "stream" is just an expression).

Trade tariffs

We've already talked about trade tariffs . In fact, the upcoming decision on whether to raise tariffs on all exports to the US to 30% (currently 10%) has been postponed again, this time to August 1st. In the meantime, we winemakers are nervously biting our nails and frantically searching for other markets. But one thing is already clear: At most, half of German wines will reach the US this year, if at all...

Consumption is falling

Alcohol consumption is decreasing. This is currently being strongly promoted by the press, which virtually demonizes alcohol consumption and portrays even the smallest amounts as highly dangerous. (We'll just leave that uncommented for now.)

Energy costs

We've all turned pale when we received our last electricity bill. Imagine the whole thing multiplied many times over when you have to chill huge quantities of wine. The profit margin disappears at a rate that makes you gulp dryly. As you know, we've invested heavily in solar energy and were very pleased with the results. So we took a deep breath when we heard that a solar energy production tax was now being discussed.

Image: Energy generated in 2025 at the Graf von Weyher winery as of July 18, 2025

The minimum wages

The current minimum wage is 12.82 euros per hour (from 1.1.2027 at 14.20 euros per hour) – for unskilled workers. We understand that costs have risen everywhere and that you have to be able to support yourself with a full day's work and a full week's work (as entrepreneurs, we're no different!). At the same time, we also see the wider effect, or as a business friend once said: "The problem isn't the increase in the minimum wage. We'll manage that somehow. The problem is the difference compared to other wages. Because if the minimum wage increases, we can't simply leave the salaries of skilled workers unchanged."

And that's where the rub lies. A trained winemaker who learned his trade from the ground up currently earns barely more than an unskilled temporary worker. Many people shrug their shoulders and say the training isn't worth it... and so there are fewer skilled workers, or all salaries have to be raised... which leads to services becoming more expensive, which means that no one can afford them anymore – you see, it's a vicious circle. That's why we're always in favor of moderate approaches and balanced solutions. In this case, it's not easy, we'll gladly admit that!

No more baking powder

Yes, you read that right, and no, it's not about bread, it's still about wine. In fact, the simple baking powder is one of the most sustainable and uncomplicated pesticides against powdery mildew (Oidium), a our archenemies. That's why we order large quantities every year. Now a company has registered baking powder with a small additive as a pesticide... and thus baking powder is no longer registered as a so-called basic substance. A basic substance is a substance that can be used as a pesticide, even if that is not its primary function. Since the law states that a basic substance cannot also be declared as a pesticide, all winegrowers are now only allowed to buy the official product... at nine times the price! This means an additional burden of about €5,000 per year for us. You can't help but look around for the hidden camera... Surely this can only be a Schildbürgerstreich?

Unfortunately not. This is a typical consequence of laws that sound good and understandable in theory, but lead to completely absurd effects in practice.

The consequence

Around us, an incredible number of winegrowers are giving up, while the rest are struggling. There's a lot of talk and little action. Just two years ago, one square meter of vineyard here cost about €9.00. Today, it's €3.00 (or less). So, if you've always wanted to own a vineyard, now's the time! ;-)

But you have to be aware that we can't simply clear the vineyards and plant something else—no, there are very strict regulations here. It's not even possible to cultivate another crop or plant, let alone use them for tourism or build a building.

On the Moselle, the authorities have already taken action... here, winemakers have been allowed to transform their vineyards into lavender fields. A fragrant solution that will hopefully pay off. (What does Provence have to say about this?) So, if you see former vineyards glowing purple and smelling of lavender on your next Moselle tour, you'll know why!

The good news

Before you shake your head and say that this newsletter has spoiled your good mood, we'd like to end with some good news: Thanks to years of hard work, sustained investments, and our vision, we're well positioned. While we're also losing long-standing dealers, we're still seeing an increase in online sales, enthusiastic bookings for our wine tastings, and the Schweizer Haus forest hut and our estate tavern continue to enjoy great popularity. We're grateful for this, as it shows that our quality and hard work are paying off.

At the same time, we're also open to changes, new ideas, and further developments. We look forward to hearing from you if you have constructive ideas about how we can shape the future together.

Your thoughtful counts

PS: Even in difficult times, you have to celebrate as the season comes! So, if you're planning a summer party or picnic, you should order our selection of the most popular summer wines now:

Sparkling, versatile, fruity – there’s something for everyone!

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