Ecology
The title “UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley” is not only of great significance to our family as regards the conservation of the countryside but also in relation to our company culture and sense of social responsibility. We live in and with the history of viticulture on the Middle Rhine and wish to pass on our deep awareness of the importance of how people, nature, the climate and the specific terroir coexist and interact with one another.
We don’t use mineral fertilizers in our vineyards in order to protect the ecosystem and the soil and instead work in compost and wood chips from our own ecologically-managed forest. Small yields, returning organic nutrients to the soil and allowing grass and herbs to grow among the vines are just as normal for us as using renewable raw materials to generate energy and adopting measures to prevent soil erosion.
In the Schloss Fürstenberg vineyard, together with Hochschule Geisenheim University we have launched a biodiversity project that centres on sustainable viticulture. Recultivating and replanting this Riesling vineyard, somewhat forgotten until very recently, with horizontal rows of vines is an exciting challenge.
Acting responsibly towards all of our employees is also very much part of our daily work. We’re happy to offer young people from the Middle Rhine Valley a perspective as a trainee or employee, regardless of their social background.
