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What is organic viticulture?
Organic viticulture places great emphasis on environmental protection and is the prerequisite for a wine to be able to call itself organic and bear the EU organic label.
Organic wine must have been produced from organically grown grapes and meet the requirements of the EU Organic Wine Regulation, which are also implemented in German wine law. In addition - in Germany - the EU wine market regulation and its supplementary regulations, the wine law and wine ordinance, the guidelines of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) as well as the plant protection law apply. The EU Organic Wine Regulation defines minimum requirements for organic farming. Associations for organic agriculture and viticulture (e.g. ECOVIN, Bioland, Naturland, Demeter) define much stricter criteria to which their members must adhere.
In organic viticulture, the vineyard is seen holistically as an ecosystem; soil health andbiodiversity play a major role. For plant protection, only organic means are allowed; herbicides and synthetic(chemical) pesticides are generally prohibited. Fertilisation is also carried out organically as far as possible (e.g. with manure). The use of plant strengthening agents and beneficial insects as well as the cover crop of the vine rows are further characteristics of organic viticulture.