Current
When the whole world smells of flowers, you are either in love - or in Weyher. Because the wine blossom has begun ! The delicate scent envelops us and enchants us every year. This year it is a little later than usual - the beginning of the year was cool. But actually this is our "normal" continental climate... as it was twenty years ago.
But no matter when the flowers start to bloom, the bees and bumblebees are delighted. Every year we get a visit from a queen who is placed in the vineyard with a small entourage of worker bees and her hive. For many years, good friends who are experienced beekeepers have been responsible for the royal journey. The bees then only have to fall headfirst into the flowers to find their nectar. A life like paradise, indeed! If the bees are full of energy, they can alternatively fly to the chestnut trees that bloom not far from the vineyards...
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...
