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Our plants are growing like crazy and the early ripening grape varieties are even starting to produce their first clusters. Now it is time to protect our plants from mildew . This is necessary, otherwise we would not be able to harvest any grapes in the autumn...
» Why aren't you an organic winery? « This is the crucial question in winemaking (and one that we are asked most frequently). The answer is complex...
Phew, done! The dangerous The frost phase is almost over, and now we can plunge into the enjoyment phase of the year with relief! Things are currently happening in the vineyard: the new fruit canes are forming their first leaves. As soon as this happens, photosynthesis begins and the plants grow like crazy.
For us, that means it's time to head back to the vineyard ! Because in the next few weeks we have to build the so-called leaf wall. The canes that shoot up freely are threaded into the wires so that they are secure and don't break off later due to the wind or the weight of the heavy grapes...
Something is happening in the vineyard! At this time of year we can literally watch the sap shoot into the dry vines. The first new shoots and eyes look shyly into the light and stretch themselves in the first rays of sun. Each eye is still protected by a small coat made of very thin fibers. It looks like wool and that is why we winegrowers say that the vines are "standing in the wool."
With every degree of warmth and every ray of sunshine, the little eyes grow until they burst out of the wool. That is the moment of budding!
And that is also the moment when we winegrowers tend to get nervous when we look at the thermometer. Because without wool, the little eyes are defenseless against the frost. There is a risk of frost until the beginning of May - it's like an annual crime thriller. We don't need the crime scene at this time - we're already biting our fingernails with excitement...
In northern Germany there is a " cruel" custom called Easter fires . At temperatures just above zero, you are roasted from the front and frozen from the back while you desperately nibble on a bland piece of dough with a black crust that is glorified as stick bread.
Well, we in Weyher also have a cruel custom, but it's more fun: The Fermenters . Never heard of it?
It is a Palatinate tradition that is hundreds of years old: From Maundy Thursday until early Easter morning (when, as we know, Jesus was resurrected), all church bells are turned off. However, it is well known that the bell (apart from the sun) was the only way people could tell time back then. To ensure that the people of the Palatinate didn't run around completely out of their minds and timeless over the Easter holidays, the Gärrer came as a kind of bell replacement! They made noises with a wooden ratchet and called out the time loudly. They also announced when it was time to go to church and when people should go to pray.
