Securing the future of viticulture

The council of the municipality of Konz has passed a resolution to strengthen viticulture and wine marketing. With this resolution, the municipality underscores the great importance of viticulture for the region and advocates for better conditions to secure its future.

For centuries, viticulture has shaped the landscape along the Moselle and Saar rivers. It is an integral part of the region's identity and a significant economic factor. The region's steep slopes, in particular, are renowned worldwide for their high-quality wines. At the same time, winegrowers are increasingly facing considerable economic challenges.

Rising costs for energy, labor, materials, and bureaucratic requirements are meeting stagnant or, in some cases, declining revenues. Many businesses, particularly those in labor-intensive steep-slope viticulture, are facing economic pressure. Abandoning such vineyards would have far-reaching consequences for the cultural landscape, biodiversity, tourism, flood protection, and regional economic activity.

With the adopted resolution, the municipality of Konz expressly commits itself to preserving sustainable and economically viable viticulture. The council therefore calls on the federal government and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to expand funding programs and significantly reduce bureaucratic burdens for wineries. Furthermore, investments in modern equipment, digitalization, and marketing should be specifically supported.

Another focus is on strengthening regional marketing. The municipality advocates for promoting direct marketing, for example through legal simplifications for setting up vending machines. Origin profiles are to be further refined in order to sustainably strengthen the competitiveness of regional wines.

The local authority itself also intends to become more active within its means: It plans to support marketing and image campaigns, promote wine sales through wine festivals and innovative event formats, and advocate for the development of new tourism offerings. Cooperation between winegrowers, restaurants, and tourism organizations will be intensified, and wine-related experiences will be further developed. This will further strengthen the region's position as a high-quality wine and tourism destination.

The resolution attaches particular importance to the preservation of steep slopes. These are explicitly recognized as cultural assets worthy of protection. The municipality will work to secure their long-term management, establish special funding instruments for steep-slope viticulture, and raise public awareness of the significance of these unique landscapes.