The country needs new vines - PIWI Deutschland e. V. founded

The country needs new vines - PIWI Deutschland e. V. founded

This autumn, a lot has become quieter among German winemakers: fewer broom taverns, fewer vineyard festivals and only small wine tastings. But pausing and focusing on the essentials also had its good points: After the grape harvest, the time was ripe - ripe for taking a step towards greater presence of the new mushroom-resistant grape varieties (= PIWIS). Because this pandemic has brought sustainability and regionality more into the public eye. The topic has long been present in agriculture and on the shelves of shops - in viticulture the topic of sustainability is still in the shadows, too few consumers are familiar with the new PIWI grape varieties, which with up to 80 % less crop protection, whether organic or conventional, get along.

On December 3rd, 2020, 21 founding members came together and laid the foundation stone for the German regional group of PIWI International - an association that is committed to sustainability in viticulture. The focus of the association work of PIWI Germany, as with the PIWI international association, is the robust PIWIS. From the vine to the wine in the glass, campaigns and projects are to be promoted in Germany that broaden the profile of PIWIS and make it clear that quality and enjoyment can be combined with sustainability, ecology and biodiversity. Cooperations and interactions with other clubs, associations and institutions should be entered into with the aim of increasing the acceptance of wines from PIWIS among winemakers and wine customers.

The articles of association and contribution regulations can be found on the website www.piwi-deutschland.de can be viewed. Winegrowers, vine growers, institutions but also sponsors from all over Germany who identify with the goals of PIWI Deutschaland are cordially invited to become members. All members participate in basic and advanced training measures with a focus on PIWI viticulture. Trade fair appearances, social media activities, seminars and other knowledge-based formats should not only support winemakers in growing the robust new varieties, but also provide important impetus in terms of marketing.

The first board meeting as well as the founding meeting itself took place on a video platform due to CORONA. The distance between the winemakers was therefore not an issue for close cooperation. The following were elected to the board: Andreas Dilger (Freiburg / Breisgau) as chairman, Dr. Cornelia Wobar (Großräschen / Lausitz) as deputy chairwoman and Gisela Wüstinger (Frasdorf / Upper Bavaria) as treasurer, a total of 9 board members want to initiate the statutory work of the association and look forward to reinforcement in the working groups.

Website: https://www.piwi-deutschland.de/

E-mail: kontakt@piwi-deutschland.de

Questions about the article:
Dr. Cornelia Wobar, Vice Chair of PIWI Germany e. V. iG cornelia.wobar@piwi-deutschland.de