To be a winemaker above all else is to be a farmer, and with the pressures of climate change it's increasingly becoming a riskier and more difficult game to play. Last year was devastating for a few of our favourite producers and to help them out, alongside our friend Fernando of Otros Vinos, we're running a month long promotion with a hefty discount on their wines.

In the Mediterranean, an unseasonably warm winter was followed by an extremely rainy spring and summer, and significant damage by mildew was followed by further damage due to oidium.

Two of Fernando's producers, Clot de les Soleres (Penedès) and L'eau du Nenuphar (Roussillon) both lost 100% of their production and weren't able to produce a single bottle of their 2020 vintage. Meanwhile in Germany devastation struck in one night, the 2Naturkinder vineyards were hit incredibly hard.

From 11th January to the 10th February, between us we are offering our trade customers a 15% discount on all of the wines from these three producers who suffered terribly last year. All we ask in return is that you push these wines as hard as you can. Promote them to your customers, shout about them on social media, by carrier pigeon, smoke signals or by whatever means capable of you... get these wines into people's hands.

When Michael Voelker woke on the morning of May 12th 2020, and stepped into the fresh bite of a morning frost to read the temperature in his yard, he knew something was wrong. It took him the entire day to tour his vineyards inspecting just how bad the damage was. In one night, a once-a-decade frost event had wiped out over 80% of their yield.

Michael's Dad- now retired- had worked the vines on these hills for decades and had told Michael to prepare himself for a frost event like this once every ten years or so, but there is little one can do to adapt in the face of such a climatic catastrophe.

Michael certainly acknowledges that his role is primarily that of a farmer, and as such "it's our job to adapt to changing climate patterns. We're getting used to the drought for instance, this was our 3rd in a row. We've learnt how to adapt."

Whilst it's unlikely the area will be hit quite this hard again anytime soon, Michael is worried that the changing vegetation season impacted by climate change could lead to further devastation.

"If you have like an earlier bud break then the period of time between outbreak and the last night of frost that you can expect: mid-May, that period of danger gets longer and longer. It's a clear pattern we're facing thanks to climate change. Not the frost, but the greater danger these frosts now pose to the buds"

We'd love for you to get involved. If you're willing, please promote these hardworking producers, celebrate their wines and simply get more people drinking them. Ultimately this will mean money in their bank accounts and a buffer to what has been quite simply a dire year.

As Michael said of the day he tended to his withered vines:

"It’s a strange feeling knowing that the impact of this event won’t become tangible before the end of next year when part of the 2020 vintage was supposed to be bottled and shipped. It’s like watching a car driving against a wall in slow-motion and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Thanks in advance for any support you can bring to these hardworking growers. Please do get in touch with Otros Vinos to stock up on some wines from Clot de les Soleres and L'eau du Nenuphar.

NOW IN STOCK FROM 2NATURKINDER

Available at 15% off until February 10th.

2019 - Silvaner Pet Nat - Silvaner

2019 - Vater & Sohn - Muller Thurgau, Silvaner, Bacchus

2018 - Fledermaus Weiss - Muller Thurgau, Silvaner

2016 - Spatburgunder - Pinot Noir

2017 - Spatburgunder - Pinot Noir

2018 - Spatburgunder - Pinot Noir

2018 - Drei Freunde - Bacchus, Muller-Thurgau, Silvaner

2018 - Kleine Heimat Silvaner - Silvaner

2018 - Weinschwärmer - Pinot Gris, Riesling

2016 - Heimat Silvaner - Silvaner

2018 - Heimat Silvaner - Silvaner

2015 - Wilde Heimat - Silvaner

2016 - Wilde Heimat - Silvaner

2017 - Wilde Heimat - Silvaner

For wholesale price lists please email hello@winesutb.com