Germany's Mosel wines prepare for climate change by sharing their soil with aromatic herbs

The sloping vineyard landscapes on the banks of the Mosel River in Germany are the characteristic symbol of a region that cannot be understood without wine: the Mosel wine region. Tourists from the border countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands flock to the area in search of mountains and wine. However, the lack of generational change and the rise in temperatures caused by climate change endanger wine production. In this sense, the European H2020 Diverfarming project began in 2018 the diversification of an ecological vineyard with a steep slope, high stoniness (up to 70%) and soil erosion problems. In most vineyards, the introduction of vegetation cover with herbaceous plants in the streets between the vineyards has already become widespread, but underneath them, it is fought with herbicides or mechanically. With the aim of reducing soil erosion, increasing its fertility and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, a team of researchers from the University of Trier ...