Well this certainly sucks

This is like the Taliban blowing up those two Buddhas or Laszlo Toth attacking the Pieta with a hammer, it is a crime against our shared human cultural heritage.
 
originally posted by Steven Spielmann:
This is like the Taliban blowing up those two Buddhas or Laszlo Toth attacking the Pieta with a hammer, it is a crime against our shared human cultural heritage.
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That's politicians for ya. Of any color.
 
Not to be a fly in the ointment, but when I was in Germany last year, I spoke to one prominent producer in the lower Mosel asking about the bridge. If you've ever been to the Winningen Uhlen you'd have noticed that there is a massive bridge (similar to the one proposed in the mittelmosel) running through it (I think it's part of the highway that stretches from Koblentz to Frankfurt and if I'm not mistaken it separates the Uhlen from the Rottgen, but I'd have to check my notes). Anyway, he said that there weren't really any issues as a result of the Winningen bridge being built and he thinks that the vineyard damage issue was a red herring in the debate in the current issue.

Anyway, I don't support the building of the bridge, but for various other reasons. I do think that some of the claims of environmental damage and damage to the Mosel vineyards might be overblown. After all, steep terraced vineyards all over the Saar and Mosel valleys have practically highways running through them and they produce tremendous wines. When I was in Germany, the highway from Trier down to Saarburg was blocked and the detour was through the Goldberg vineyard where Van Volxem produces his incredible wines. I recognize that not all vineyards are made the same way and perhaps the vineyards in Graach and Wehlen are particularly fragile in a way great vineyards in the Saar and lower Mosel are not, but color me at least somewhat skeptical when it comes to the claims of the bridge opponents.
 
The bridge itself may cause no problems now but what about during its construction? Heavy machinery and a zillion guys everywhere.
 
Yes, but presumably the bridges and highways all over the Mosel were also built with zillion guys everywhere and heavy machinery, not with horse and buggy. And those vineyards survived. Again, not saying the bridge is a good idea. It's a bad idea for a whole host of reasons. But the environmental doom and gloom, landslides, erosion, etc. predicted by opponents are overblown.
 
I hate the idea of the bridge, and am very concerned about what it might do to an amazing stretch of vineyards.

Fleubereinigung is actually a much bigger issue for the quality of the wines.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
Why is land consolidation an issue for wine quality?
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Ripping up of thousands upon thousands of old vines, changing angles of exposure and mixing up the soil for starters.

If you are a devotee of own-rooted vines, the replantation is all being done on grafted root stock, so that's another downside.
 
Yes, David, though that deal has its upsides.

The bridge brings lots of negatives, not least being the aesthetic ones. It does have positive aspects as well. Let's hope, given that they look to be going ahead, those positives get maximized.

In any case, the wines will be okay, and maybe ease of access will actually help with part-time growers, picker availability, sales to travelers, etc. will spur quality in some way. Maybe.
 
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