Challenge

"A cocktail of up to ten different pesticides can be detected in German predicate and quality wines"  - Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2010. 

Spraying is particularly strong against fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Also nationally, about 3000 tons of chemical agents are applied to the vineyards every year in Germany for wine production, which heavily burden our nature with plants and living beings and are also detectable in the wines.

Dr. Carsten Brühl, ecologist and ecotoxicologist from the University of Landau, Germany carried out the following series of experiments: He sprayed grass frogs with seven different commercially available pesticide products at the recommended product level.  Four of the agents were fungicides against fungi, two herbicides against plants and one was an insecticide.

Even with tenfold dilution, 40 percent of the test animals died after one week for three products. In addition, he warns that "only a single active ingredient has been tested at a time, but in reality animals are confronted with many substances at the same time."

Healthy and low-pest vines are the basic requirement for two essential aspects:

1. The use of pesticides is reduced, thereby increasing the quality and quantity of the grapes and wine produced.

2. The environment and nature are burdened with fewer pollutants (pesticides) over many years - the agricultural areas are managed more sustainably and this is good for people's health.