German Viticultural Association

The German Viticultural Association (Deutscher Weinbauverband e.V., DWV) is the umbrella professional organisation of the German wine industry, headquartered in Bonn. It represents the interests of German winegrowers and works closely with the German Farmers' Association (Deutscher Bauernverband) and the German Raiffeisen Association (Deutscher Raiffeisenverband). Legally it is a registered voluntary association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.). Its members are the regional winegrowing and Raiffeisen associations, and a number of other sector bodies are also members, including VINISSIMA – Frauen und Wein e.V., the Association of German Vine Nursery Operators (Verband Deutscher Rebenpflanzguterzeuger e.V.), ECOVIN – Federal Association of Organic Viticulture, the German Agricultural Society (DLG), German Wine Analysts (Deutsche Weinanalytiker e.V.), the Federation of German Oenologists (Bund Deutscher Oenologen e.V.), the Federation of German Rural Youth (Bund der Deutschen Landjugend e.V.), VDP. Die Prädikatsweingüter, and Fair' N Green. The association traces its origins to the Deutscher Weinbauverein, founded on 30 September 1874 in Trier as an organisation of individual members; its first president was Adolf Blankenhorn from Müllheim in Baden. On 27 April 1913 in Mainz a tighter organisational form was adopted: membership was reserved for regional winegrowing associations and individual membership was abolished. The former Weinbauverein then renamed itself Deutscher Weinbauverband, reflecting its new role as the apex body of the regional associations. Founding members were the state associations of Baden, Bavaria, Hesse, Alsace, Prussia, Saxony and Württemberg. The board of the Deutscher Weinbauverband was formed from the state boards; the first chairman was the Deidesheim estate owner Franz Eberhard Buhl, and Richard Graf Matuschka-Greiffenclau became honorary president of the new association. Today the DWV functions as the political and professional voice of German viticulture. Its regional member associations include the Badischer Weinbauverband, Weinbauverband Württemberg, Bauern- und Winzerverband Rheinland-Nassau, Bauern- und Winzerverband Rheinland-Pfalz Süd, Bauern- und Winzerverband an Nahe und Glan, Rheingauer Weinbauverband, Saarländischer Winzerverband, Weinbauverband Rheinhessen, Weinbauverband Ahr, Weinbauverband Hessische Bergstraße, Weinbauverband Mittelrhein, Weinbauverband Mosel, Weinbauverband Pfalz, Weinbauverband Saale-Unstrut and Weinbauverband Sachsen. The Fränkische Weinbauverband (FWV) left the DWV at the end of 2021; its president, Artur Steinmann, justified the exit by saying that the DWV mainly looked after the large growing regions such as Rheinhessen. The association publishes the trade journal Der Deutsche Weinbau, which is the official organ of the DWV and its regional member associations. Its website carries industry news, market analysis and policy commentary, covering topics such as proposed increases in sparkling wine tax, export opportunities in South America, plant protection and the vine disease Flavescence dorée, and EU-wide consumer information requirements for online shops and print catalogues. Through this work the DWV acts as a central representative body for German winegrowers in dealings with government, EU institutions and the wider agricultural sector.

The German Viticultural Association traces its history to the Deutscher Weinbauverein, founded on 30 September 1874 in Trier. This predecessor organisation was composed of individual members, and its first president was Adolf Blankenhorn from Müllheim in Baden. For nearly four decades it operated as a broad association of individuals interested in viticulture. A decisive reorganisation took place on 27 April 1913 in Mainz. A tighter organisational form was adopted under which membership was reserved for regional winegrowing associations; individual membership was abolished. Reflecting its new role as the apex body of the regional associations, the former Weinbauverein renamed itself Deutscher Weinbauverband. The founding members of the reorganised association were the state associations of Baden, Bavaria, Hesse, Alsace, Prussia, Saxony and Württemberg. The board of the Deutscher Weinbauverband was formed from the state boards. The first chairman was Franz Eberhard Buhl, a Deidesheim estate owner, and Richard Graf Matuschka-Greiffenclau became honorary president of the new association. Over the following decades the DWV developed into the central professional organisation of German winegrowers, based in Bonn and working closely with the German Farmers' Association (Deutscher Bauernverband) and the German Raiffeisen Association (Deutscher Raiffeisenverband). Its membership consists of the regional winegrowing and Raiffeisen associations. In addition, a number of other sector organisations are members, including VINISSIMA – Frauen und Wein e.V., the Verband Deutscher Rebenpflanzguterzeuger e.V., ECOVIN – Bundesverband Ökologischer Weinbau e.V., the Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft e.V. (DLG), Deutsche Weinanalytiker e.V., Bund Deutscher Oenologen e.V., Bund der Deutschen Landjugend e.V., VDP. Die Prädikatsweingüter, and Fair' N Green. The regional member associations of the DWV include the Badischer Weinbauverband, Weinbauverband Württemberg, Bauern- und Winzerverband Rheinland-Nassau, Bauern- und Winzerverband Rheinland-Pfalz Süd, Bauern- und Winzerverband an Nahe und Glan, Rheingauer Weinbauverband, Saarländischer Winzerverband, Weinbauverband Rheinhessen, Weinbauverband Ahr, Weinbauverband Hessische Bergstraße, Weinbauverband Mittelrhein, Weinbauverband Mosel, Weinbauverband Pfalz, Weinbauverband Saale-Unstrut and Weinbauverband Sachsen. At the end of 2021 the Fränkische Weinbauverband (FWV) left the DWV. Its president, Artur Steinmann, justified the exit by saying that the DWV mainly looked after the large growing regions such as Rheinhessen. The DWV publishes Der Deutsche Weinbau, the official organ of the German Winegrowing Association and its regional member associations. Its website serves as a news and information hub for the sector, covering policy debates such as the planned increase in sparkling wine tax, export market opportunities in South America, plant protection and the vine disease Flavescence dorée, and EU-wide consumer information requirements. Through these activities the association continues to act as the political and professional voice of German viticulture.

• 2021

  Fränkische Weinbauverband (FWV) leaves the DWV, citing a focus on large growing regions such as Rheinhessen.

• 1913

  Reorganisation in Mainz: membership reserved for regional associations; renamed Deutscher Weinbauverband; Franz Eberhard Buhl becomes first chairman.

• 1874

  Deutscher Weinbauverein, predecessor of the DWV, founded in Trier; Adolf Blankenhorn becomes first president.

Apex professional association and political voice of the German winegrowing sector, uniting regional winegrower associations under one umbrella.

• Der Deutsche Weinbau

  Official trade journal of the German Viticultural Association and its regional member associations.

1. 1DWV – Deutscher Weinbauverband e.V.deutscher-weinbauverband.de
2. 2Deutscher Weinbauverband – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3German Viticultural Association – Wikidatawikidata.org