Viticulture through the ages
Viticulture through the ages
What did the vineyards and rows of vines actually look like in earlier decades? What has changed over time and why? Today we talk about precision viticulture, digitalization and artificial intelligence in viticulture. But going back to original vineyard work and forms of cultivation is just as important for our students as looking to the future. This is the only way to internalize in a sustainable way what makes sense and why it is used in practice.
With the help of many experimental areas, students at the Wine Campus are taught such knowledge in a very practical way. One wonderful example is the historic Johannitergarten vineyard in Mußbach. The site is solely owned by the St. John State Winery with Johannitergut and includes an area for so-called open or closed chamber cultivation - also known as chamber training. This form of cultivation was widespread until the 1870s and in some cases even lasted until the 1920s. The vines grow in a kind of wooden chamber or even in a wooden trellis, which protects them very well and therefore enables high yields. In March 2021, thanks to many helping hands, the area was renovated, with great importance being attached to the original chamber construction form. Chestnut wood was used and split for the posts, and the Riesling vines - some of which were planted in the 1970s - were bound with original binding willows. The vineyard is now ready for the next generation of inquisitive minds. Students and schoolchildren learn about viticulture and its origins in a simpler and more sustainable way with practical demonstrations. These practical modules are part of the dual philosophy at the Wine Campus Neustadt and the Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rheinish Palatinate. Because you can only learn to make wine by making wine!
For detailed information on chamber construction, please contact the Institute of Viticulture & Enology, Gerd Götz, 06321 / 671-226
You can also find a detailed elaboration of the topic here:
Photo credits: Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rheinish Palatinate
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