Forum called to prevent grand cru vineyard destruction

An emergency meeting of international wine writers and winemakers has been called to save some of Germany’s most famous and valuable vineyards.

The event – The Last Chance Wine Forum – is an 11th hour attempt to persuade politicians to stop the building of a vast concrete road bridge over the Mosel river and several grand cru Riesling vineyards.

Hugh Johnson will speak at a press reception on 11 September at 17.30, which will take place at the point where the building of proposed bridge would begin.

As reported by the drinks business in May this year, the planned road, named the B50, will emerge from a tunnel through the side of the Ürziger Würzgarten wine mountain, cross the Mosel river via a 1.7 kilometre long, 160 metre high concrete bridge and continue directly along the top of the vineyards of Zeltingen-Rachtig, Wehlen, Graach and Bernkastel, with an additional slip road passing close by the village of Erden.

The road building will endanger an exceptionally long stretch of rare Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) and Erste Lage (First Growth) Riesling vineyards.

According to campaign organiser Sarah Washington, building works are becoming more serious on the stretch of land above the Mosel’s best stretch of Riesling vineyards and a historic hill fort has been damaged, while there are several open earthworks in progress.

Washington said: “This work was not announced, and seems unduly hurried at the moment, probably because a general election is looming and the finances will have to be looked at again in a cold hard light after September.”

For more information on the Wine Forum contact organisers Sarah Washington or Knut Aufermann at
washsarah@gmail.com
auferman@yahoo.com
Tel: +49 6532 9532 69
Mobile: +44 7967 329 643

For the officially released photos of the bridge visit http://www.hochmoseluebergang.rlp.de/fotomontage.html and click on the red arrows.

Patrick Schmitt, 20.08.2009