Organic winegrowers always spend more time in the vineyard than those who work conventionally. Guy Krier (Domaine Krier-Welbes, Ellange-Gare) and Jeff Konsbrück (Winery Jeff Konsbruck, Ahn), recount one of the most difficult years of their career.
It will have escaped no one’s attention, it has rained a lot over the past twelve months. And the Moselle, normally the driest region in the country, was no exception. The vines were watered like the rest of the Grand Duchy, which caused a significant increase in work for all winegrowers, particularly organic ones. “In general, it is said that an organic vineyard requires 20% more work than a conventional vineyard,” says Jeff Konsbrück, of the Jeff Konsbrück Winery (Ahn) and also vice-president of independent winegrowers. And this year, with the weather, you can expect another 20% more work in the vines.” When we ask him if he was able to take a vacation, he responds with a burst of laughter that is quite enlightening.
But what did this additional work consist of? There are treatments, around fifteen passes with the tractor in total, which is a lot. Usually it’s a dozen. “No choice,” he whispers. Without spraying, mildew would have taken everything.”
His colleague Guy Krier, from the Krier-Welbes estate (Ellange-Gare), president of the independent winegrowers, confirms: “For me, there were 14 visits.” He used 3.6 kilos of copper per hectare. This is less than the authorized maximum of 4 kilos per hectare (with an average smoothed over seven years), but it is exactly twice as much as last year. “And again, I have a hectare of Piwi (Editor’s note: grape varieties specially crossed so that they require almost no spraying) which I have only treated three times, two of which with copper. This lowers the average,” he adds honestly.
The tractor, the boots too
For the two winegrowers, processing is not a pleasure. Copper or sulfur are not neutral materials and they are aware of this. Moreover, Guy Krier explains that he did not always spray as much as he could have. “We have to accept the losses…” What upsets organic winegrowers is that a product which would help a lot has no longer been authorized since 2012: phosphonates. These phosphorous acid salts strengthen the vine’s defenses and block the appearance of fungi, including downy mildew. They are natural, but systemic, that is, they enter the plant. However, organic only allows contact products, which are therefore washed away with each rain. “We are trying to raise awareness among our politicians because phosphonates would allow us to save a lot of copper,” says Guy Krier. But in Europe, the southern countries, which do not need it since they do not have mildew, are blocking it…”
Work in the vineyard, however, was not limited to passing with the tractor. “Normally, we leaf-leaf with the machine, but here, with my father, who always helps me, and two workers, we had to pass through the vines several times on foot to also leaf-leaf by hand. This is useful because we remove the leaves which could prevent the treatments from reaching the grapes. In addition, this promotes air circulation, which allows the bunches to dry faster. But fungi thrive where there is humidity.”
And the grapes in all this? Well it could have been worse, it’s actually pretty good. “Riesling has suffered,” recognizes Guy Krier. I would have liked to keep it in the vines longer, but the last 50 liters of rain swelled the berries which started to burst and we had to harvest early so that everything did not rot. The ripenesses are not as high as hoped, but it is not very serious, I will mainly make Crémant, which requires more acidic grapes. Surprisingly, although it is a more southern grape variety, which would therefore rather require heat, its Pinot Noirs promise enormously, “but at the cost of very small yields”.
Suffice to say that the end of the harvest in recent days was a relief. “It is every year,” smiles Jeff Konsbrück, “but it’s true that having the grapes in the cellar is a weight less.” However, the work is still far from complete, the wine does not make itself. Friday, Guy Krier devatted his Saint-Laurent, a red grape variety, after maceration. We will have to control the fermentations in each vat so that the wines are as straight as possible, put the reds and the best whites in barrels… and already prepare the orders for the end of year celebrations which, apparently, will arrive quickly.
The Rieslings have suffered, but the Pinot Noirs show enormous promise
Where to taste Luxembourg wines?
We can never repeat it enough, Luxembourg wines do not get the recognition they deserve. And yet, the Moselle vineyard is full of gems which sometimes struggle to make themselves known. In fact, there is everything to make good wine in Luxembourg: varied terroirs (clay-limestone and marl), an increasingly favorable climate thanks to global warming, a quite incredible variety of white and red grape varieties (riesling, pinot gris, pinot blanc, chardonnay, auxerrois, gewurztraminer, rivaner, pinot noir, merlot, saint-laurent…), still wines and high-end crémants, competent winegrowers and a past that dates back to the end of Antiquity .
But since they are not very visible in the capital, the easiest way to discover them is to go to the Moselle and visit the winegrowers. With its hillsides plunging into the Moselle, the landscapes are very beautiful and many estates have beautiful tasting rooms, sometimes wine bars, where you can take the time to discover them with those who have them. do.
However, Luxembourg producers will invest the capital during the Luxembourg Wine and Crémants Festival which will take place from November 29 to December 1 on the Glacis, in the Luxembourg Art Week tent. Go ahead, almost all the wineries will be there: the opportunity will be perfect to taste, refine your preferences and find your favorite wines!
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