The red vineyard peach

THE STATUS QUO

Due to the expansion of the villages, land consolidation measures and an increase in social wasteland, the landscape of the Terrassenmosel has changed significantly in the last 30 years. It is still characterized by small villages, a meandering Moselle and steep slopes that are forested or - with favorable exposure - are used for viticulture and are counted among the world's steepest terrace locations. In addition to monoculture areas that are intensively used for viticulture, more and more fallow areas are developing, in which, due to structural change, viticulture no longer makes sense.

With the increasing encroachment of these fallow land and the associated collapse of the dry stone walls, not only the landscape and a 1000-year-old cultural landscape are destroyed, but also steep-slope biotopes with ecological niches for a large number of endangered plants and animals - and thus the basis of tourism in the long term.

THE RED VINEYARD PEACH

Not only in plantations and orchards, but above all in the vineyards, a large number of fruit trees loosened up the landscape until the 1960s. In deep, deep locations it was apple, pear and cherry trees and on the steep slopes above all the »red vineyard peach«.

The homeland of this fruit is in central and northern China. There were already 2200 BC. Various sorts were listed under the name "Sing". 128 B.C. they came to Persia via the Middle East and then through the Romans to Italy and southern France. The "Persian apple" is depicted on wall paintings in the buried Pompeii.

In Deutschland wurden in der Saalburg Pfirsichsteine aus der Zeit von 120 n. Chr. gefunden. Der Pfirsich wird im Mittelalter im »Capitulare de Villis« als »persicarius« erwähnt; Albertus Magnus be-zeichnet ihn als »persicum«. Auch die heilige Hildegard von Bingen weißt auf den Pfirsichbaum hin. Hieronymus Bock unterscheidet schon zwischen drei Sorten, und zwar: »gemein weiß, ganz gäl, ganz bluthrot durchaus«.. 

The varieties we call »red Weinbergpfisich« today were mentioned for the first time in the 16th century and were distributed in the climatically favored wine-growing regions of Germany. They are small trees with small, hard and heavily fur coated fruits, which are characterized by their red pulp.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• scenic

A relaunch of the »red vineyard peach« contributes significantly to loosening up and thus improving the landscape of the Terrassenmosel. Especially when the first intense pink splashes of color are set in the brown-gray landscape during the early flowering in spring.

• ecological

Preserving an autochthonous fruit would actually be reason enough to relaunch the peaches. In addition, we are working with the project to counteract the encroachment and the associated destruction of the vineyard walls and thus save the biodiversity of our steep-slope biotopes. Numerous southern European animal and plant species reach their northernmost distribution in the hot, dry climate of the Terrassenmosel. Plants include gold aster, diptame, rock gold star, boxwood, rock maple, rock cherry and the white sedum plant. In animals primarily the Apollo butterfly, the largest of only four occurrences in Germany on the Terrassenmosel. The caterpillars of this butterfly live mainly on the white sedum plant, the growth of which is suppressed by the bushes. (Incidentally, the Apollo butterfly is the only non-tropical butterfly species that has been included in the Washington Convention on Endangered Species.) In addition, the endangered vine saddle insect and the red-winged wasteland insect as well as the "endangered" wall lizard and the rare, Endangered green lizard. The rare and magnificent sail butterfly is also threatened with extinction. In addition to sloes and rock cherries, its caterpillar prefers the red vineyard peach as a habitat.

• socio-cultural.

In the long term, an intact environment cannot be achieved through state-organized measures, but only through an increased awareness of ecological problems and the associated increasing responsibility of the individual. By planting and caring for the peaches, there is a desired increase in the degree of identification of the population with their environment and an awareness of ecological issues.

Subsequent generations of long-established winegrowing families stay in contact with and take responsibility for their vineyards, new residents "develop" a piece of home for themselves.

• ökonomisch

In the context of a growing demand for ecologically produced, autochthonous products, the product family “red vineyard peach” is marketed profitably regionally and nationally. Below is an overview of the product range.