OUR KIDS VINEYARD IN THE ZELLERTAL
Children become vine-godparents ….
In our vine garden, children will be vine-godparents and work in the vineyard for a year. Throughout the year, the children meet four times with the pedagogical and viniculture technical trained cultural and wine ambassador Heidi Zies to do guided work assignments and to experience how the vines develop.
As a result, the children can learn step by step what is happening in the vineyard and how it actually overlaps the plants of the vines, soil processing, defoliation and how that affects the way the grapes grow, develop, harvest and are pressed into grape juice.
Through the sponsorship, the children learn to establish a relationship with their vine and assume long-term responsibility for their development.
Target group: children from 5 to 10 years
We are the only vineyard in the Zellertal that allows your children this experience!
Dornfelder, Riesling, Spätburgunder- beautifully arranged and protected by a high stone wall, the 17 vines stand directly at the Weingut Schwan in Niefernheim. All are now assigned to their caretakers. Lena from Ottersheim in the Donnersbergkreis is one of them.
Until autumn, she will cherish and cultivate her own vine. Winemaker Dirk Himmel explains what stick Lena has caught: „This is a Portuguese. A well-known and old vine, just in the Palatinate. It is often grown as a Portuguese white horse. So the typical Schorle wine for the young at heart. “
This is a bit too early for nine-year-old Lena. She wants to make grapes from her grapes in autumn. But until then there is still a long way to go. Today the vines have to be cut. For the first time Lena has pruning shears in hand. Grab it is not difficult, but simply snapping at it would be fatal. Expert Dirk Himmel stands by and gives tips.
(Source: SWR)
It is a long way to the wine in the bottle and the grape juice. In a kids vineyard in the Zellertal, children learn the art of viticulture from the winemaker. Winemaker Dirk Himmel stands in front of a group of children and explains the different vine varieties.
Vines cut as art
Winemaker Himmel claims to have cutting vines has a system. Somehow it looks a bit like art, but Lena has understood, „that you have to pay attention so you do not cut everything. A few shoots must be left, otherwise no grapes grow there „. The correct handling of the pruning shears must be learned.
Children come regularly
Several dates are planned for the year, when the children will meet with winegrowers. Whenever there is work to be done again in the vineyard. They get to know machines that are used in the vineyards.
Viticulture in detail
The vines must be broken and culminated at any time. The pruning was the first stage. But a very crucial one. „If you make a mistake, it can happen that there is no grape growing at all.
There are, of course, also weather influences like hail, before that one is also not protected. This can lead to a total failure, „says Winzer Himmel.
„Special pleasure“
The winemaker has already trained many young people, but so young was none yet. „With the kids here, this is a special pleasure, but of course a special challenge.“
Already they are all feverish for autumn. When the grapes are ripe, there is a feast.
Further information and the current dates for our Kinderwingert can be found on our Facebook page.
