Driving and wine are never a good combination and that was proved beyond all doubt when two rally cars plowed through Mosel vineyards, destroying the vines.The first car crashed during a practice run for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the German leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) series. The eventual rally winner, Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, lost control of his Hyundai i20 on a corner and barrel-rolled through row after row of vines.
Another driver, Finn Jari-Matti Latvala, also crashed through a vineyard near Wintrich belonging to Daniel Gehlen, mowing down several rows of vines.
An outraged German wine lover posted on Jancis Robinson’s forum that producers in the Mosel were not only upset about the crashes, but about the fact that they could not access their vineyards at a crucial time in the growing season. Another problem was the proximity of the spectators to the vines – some didn’t hesitate to urinate onto the vines, causing damage to vines and soil.
Gehlen, of Gehlen-Cornelius, told Wine Searcher the rally causes more trouble than simply smashed vines.
During the last of the time trials, a rally car crashed into our parcel in the Wintricher Ohligsberg and destroyed roughly 700 to 800 square meters of vines, so roughly a third of the vines in our parcel. We had planted the vines four years ago and 2014 was expected to be our first vintage from this parcel,” he said.
“The work of four years of care for these vines has now been destroyed. It was only after two days [rally sponsors] ADAC contacted us to inspect the damage. There are other aspects of the rally that disturb our work. During the training sessions in July and during the rally itself, we couldn’t access our vineyards for several days and couldn’t work there.”
Rally-related damage isn’t a new occurrence. Stefan Steinmetz of Weingut Günther Steinmetz in Brauneberg, is another grower has been affected by the race in previous years.
“At one rally, without asking us, one of our vineyards was opened to spectators as a watching stand for rally fans. In the end, there were roughly 400 spectators in that vineyard. Vines and supporting poles were ripped out to build benches from them and to use them as firewood, people were urinating against the vines. In the end, since this was a parcel with old vines that are more fragile, we had to rip out the old vines and replant the vineyard.”
Constantin Richter of Weingut Max Ferd. Richter has also had issues with the rally.
“This year, we had no damage in our vineyards, but a few years ago some vines were damaged and we got compensated financially, but money does not compensate the work and care for the vines which were damaged,” he said.
“The rally causes problems for us vintners. Already during training days and then during the rally itself, we can’t access our vineyards for entire days. This is especially troubling in years like this year when the rally takes place on dry days after rainy days, where we need to make the necessary treatments in the vineyard, but are not allowed to drive through. In addition, spectators leave garbage in the vineyards, they pass through and stand in the vineyards to watch the rally and sometimes vines get damaged by spectators who hold on to vines in order not to slip. Many of us here in the region are not at all happy about the rally and the kind of tourism it attracts.”
Wine Searcher approached the WRC for comment on the growers’ concerns, but we have received no response.
In October 2012, Norwegian rally driver Petter Solberg was driving a Ford in the Rallye de France when he crashed through a vineyard in Alsace. He took out a vast swath of vines before hitting a telegraph pole, which then fell on the crowd. There were no injuries.