Cultivating Vines – Stubborn Shoots, Wild Stalks – Vines are Pliable
Anybody walking through a vineyard in Franconia today will only find one grape variety at each location. This has not always been that way, however. For centuries, winegrowers mixed grape varieties at each location. They planted up to 10 different varieties right next to each other. Since the climatic conditions were much colder in the past, this gave more stability to the vineyard in qualitative and quantitative terms. Today, the grape varieties of old serve as a genetic reservoir for new wine cultivars.
Mixed cultivars are rare these days, but they do still exist: For example at the terroir f in Ramsthal. Striking red columns educate about the history of the grape varieties. The columns’ construction also incorporates a unique aspect of Franconian winegrowing: The historical vine cultivating using three poles to tame stubborn shoots and wild stalks by hand.