"Day of German Wine" on August 30

The “Future Initiative of German Viticulture e.V.” appeals to consumers to buy one more bottle of German wine instead of an imported one on Saturday, August 30. For this, it declares the “Day of German Wine.” Consumers are encouraged to actively support the local wine culture through conscious purchasing. Even a bottle of grape juice or de-alcoholized wine could help German winemakers and secure their future. The winemaker association appears under the slogan “Your wine from here.” “We are not asking for pity. It is about the decision of whether viticulture and with it the value creation in Germany should be preserved,” explained the founder and chairman Thomas Schaurer.

The association sharply criticizes the wine-growing associations in its statement. They tried to “sweep the existential threat to many businesses under the rug” and downplayed the situation. There is talk of a “small crisis” that affects “only” 20 to 30 percent of winemaker families. In reality, however, up to 50 percent of German winemaker families are soon facing extinction. The wine-growing associations “repeatedly claim that openness and honesty are useless and even counterproductive. The population does not care whether German viticulture exists; only fair-weather advertising would work,” state the responsible parties of the Future Initiative of German Viticulture e.V. However, the prices for grapes and barrel wine are “already for the second year in a row far below production costs” at 40 to 60 cents per liter.

“If we do not stop this development, we will lose not only businesses but also a large part of our cultural identity,” warns Thomas Schaurer. Currently, of the 20 liters of wine consumed per capita per year in Germany, only eight liters come from the country itself. Even a small shift in this ratio could save thousands of livelihoods. With the “Day of German Wine,” the initiative aims to draw attention to these problems.

(al)