The 15th edition of the Luxembourg Viticulture Day, organised by the Luxembourg Winegrowers' Association and the Institut viti-vinicole (IVV), took place on Wednesday 1 February 2023 at the Center Culturel in Wormeldange, in the presence of Claude Haagen, Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development.
The wine-growing / viticulture day is considered an important event and platform for information exchange for the winegrowers. In addition to a look back at the 2022 wine year, this year's conference addressed, among other things, investment subsidies and regulations provided for in the new agricultural law, viticultural management under climate change, the results of the "VinoManAOP" research project, and other current topics in viticulture, in discussion with international scientists and experts.
In his speech, Minister Haagen emphasised the exciting exchange of experience and knowledge at the Luxembourg Wine Day. According to the minister, the family businesses on the Luxembourg Moselle are unique and the political goal is to keep them going. Furthermore, he also made the winegrowers aware of the importance of young people in the wine industry and underlined the diverse training opportunities in the neighbouring countries, between which the cooperation was to be rated extremely positively.
With regard to the new funding period (2023 to 2027), Minister Haagen also underlined the importance of LEADER projects, such as "Interprofessioun viticole", which the ministry supports in order to strengthen cross-border strategies and cooperation. In this area it is particularly important to promote the commitment of each individual "bottom up" in order to stand out as a modern role model for other countries.
The minister continued to focus on important issues for the future, such as the reduced use of pesticides, which Luxembourg winegrowers have been implementing for a number of years. He underlined the great importance of constant dialogue to prepare for new guidelines, diseases and climatic conditions and of the research carried out by the LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology), the IVV (Institut viti-vinicole) and the ASTA (Administration of the services techniques de l'agriculture).
Extreme weather is increasingly dominating what is happening in the wine industry. The 2022 wine year has proven that the subject of drought in viticulture has long been the rule, even in northern regions. According to Minister Haagen, saving water thanks to infrastructure such as retention basins and making it usable in summer is a high priority.
