"Progress Underway: innovative strategies proposed for halting unregulated wineries in the countryside"
The vineyards of Baden, Germany, are set to undergo a significant transformation with the introduction of a special project known as Weinbau Mittelbaden. However, specific details about the project's aims, methods, and goals remain elusive, as a comprehensive search does not provide extensive information.
The project is intended to revitalise the wine growing and holiday region in Baden. It plans to address challenges such as decreasing wine consumption, vineyard overgrowth, and negative impact on tourism. To combat these issues, Weinbau Mittelbaden aims to introduce alternative uses for non-core vineyard areas, such as orchard planting, grazing with animals, reforestation, and biotope networking.
One of the key aspects of the project is the potential reorganisation of ownership relationships through voluntary land exchange. Jürgen Eisenmann, who presented the special project to winemakers in Bühl, has mentioned this possibility. However, not all winemakers are on board with the idea, citing economic concerns and potential unwillingness of participants.
Areas that can no longer be profitably cultivated may be exchanged for prime locations to maintain a closed vineyard landscape and a well-maintained cultural landscape. This exchange could help address the issue of many winemakers aged 60+ not finding successors, leading to more vineyards becoming overgrown.
The Landesamt für Geoinformation (Stuttgart) has given the starting signal for this project, and a usage concept for the Baden vineyards is to be worked out in cooperation with several parties within one year. If successful, the project could serve as a model for the whole of Baden-Württemberg.
The special project Weinbau Mittelbaden is being financed by an external project manager from the state. Klaus Bloedt-Werner, from the association "Wein, Tourism, Culture and Art in the Vineyards e.V.", estimates that in the future 20 to 30 percent of the current vineyard area will no longer be cultivated. The project aims to create an attractive overall picture of vineyards, fruit trees, and blooming meadows in the vineyards of Bühler and Baden-Badener Rebland.
While many winemakers in the region have responded positively to the initiative from Stuttgart, some have expressed skepticism. Winemaker Volker Maier, from Baden-Baden, questioned the feasibility of land swaps for organic vineyards. Klaus Schäetzle from the Weingut Schloss Neuweier also voiced doubts, wondering whether many winemakers would actually want to swap their lands.
Despite these reservations, the project is moving forward with the goal of saving the wine growing and holiday region in Baden. More details about the project's specific aims and methods are expected to emerge as the project progresses.
- The Weinbau Mittelbaden project, aiming to revitalize Baden's wine growing and holiday region, covers topics such as lifestyle, food-and-drink (specifically, wine), and home-and-garden (including orchard planting, grazing, reforestation, and biotope networking).
- The project's ambition to introduce alternative uses for non-core vineyard areas, create a beautiful vineyard landscape, and potentially reorganize ownership relationships through land exchange, raises questions in general-news about the project's feasibility and the winemakers' reception to these changes.
