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Wines from steep sites are famous for being very difficult to produce. For example, to produce a fine wine, a vintner spends roughly 500 hours a year working a single hectare of level ground; in comparison, the Oelsberg terrain demands up to 1300 hours’ annual attention from Lanius. The main focus is on quality. In the old days, farmers planted vines on these meager slopes, reserving the fertile, level ground for vegetables or grain, since vines – like weeds – will grow anywhere. That’s how these unique landscapes came about beside rivers such as the Mosel, the Neckar and the Middle Rhine. Only later was it discovered that slopes were ideal for growing wine. Thanks to the incline, the sun’s rays reach the plants better and temperature control is more reliable. The poor soil is also an advantage: It forces the vines to grow their roots further into the ground, making them more resilient in dry weather. The grapes don’t get as big, but they are more aromatic. “Good wine has to suffer,” according to an old winegrowers’ saying, but more and more often, vineyards on steep slopes are lying fallow. Fewer and fewer vintners are willing to take on such backbreaking work. The winegrowers here share the helicopter, which costs between 250 and 350 euros for one hectare of crop. In the summer months, weather permitting, the helicopter sprays roughly every 10 days. That’s nine expensive flights per season.
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