Lady Sunshine and Mister Moon are the real rulers of our vineyards. In addition to the seasons, there are weather lore days, moon phases and also times of day which have positive influences on certain activities in the vineyard.

Beginning of summer
On June 21, when summer begins, our vines are in full growth. This is the time of cell division in berry development, which passes on to cell growth during the ripening phase.

Green harvest
There is as yet no sugar stored in the berries. We reduce the pressures on the vines by thinning out, i.e. removing some of the clusters. But they are not left lying on the ground; we harvest them and take them to the juice producer where they are used to make verjuice (green juice), which is an ideal acidulant. This is already our third harvest in the course of the year: The first is the late harvest for our dessert wine in February; then we collect the tears of the vines between March and April, and at the end of June there is the green harvest.

St. John’s Day
June 24, shortly after the summer solstice, is St. John’s Day, i.e. the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. It is traditionally a key day in weather lore and old farming traditions and especially for biodynamics. June 24 also marks the end of the “Sheep’s Cold”, a period of cold weather to be found in the traditional farming calendars.
It is an old custom to light a bonfire on St. John’s Eve. Together with our guests we celebrate the event around the fire, with eurythmic dancing and other activities. According to popular belief, St. John’s Fire has the power to ward off demons that bring disease and also to prevent damage caused by hailstones, which is why it is also known as Hailstorm Fire.

Ripening period
Around this time the growth phase gradually gives way to the ripening period: The energy and strength of the vine is withdrawn from the leaves and is focused instead on the maturation of the grapes.
The first visible sign is when the vital green of the shoots gives way to woody brown. We support this process with a biodynamic cow’s horn silica preparation, also called 501. This is dynamized for an hour in lukewarm water so that the power of the crystals is transferred to the water. Finely sprayed in the vineyard, it encourages a harmonious transition to ripening in the vines.
A month later, around July 25, the first blue berries appear in the Manincor vineyards. This marks the beginning of the period in which sugar is stored in the berries and the acidity is reduced.

Grape harvest
This process continues until the ideal moment for harvesting has come. At Manincor, it is not the sugar content that is decisive but the taste and the perfect physiological maturity of the berries – ideally with the sugar and acidity in perfect harmony.
We taste the berries to check how easily the pulp separates from the seeds and whether the seeds are lignified, indicating the presence of ripe tannins. The grape harvest at Manincor lasts from the beginning of September to the end of October, depending on the grape variety and altitude of the site.

Michaelmas Day
September 29, shortly after the autumn equinox, is Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael the Archangel. The date is also a turning point in the vineyards.
We start preparing the horn manure. Cow horns are filled with fresh manure and buried in a hole in the ground dug to a depth of about one meter. There the compost preparation is left to develop in the horns until Easter.
When the harvest has been brought in, the excitement is over in the vineyards. The vines have done their work, and the strength in the plants can gradually retreat into the roots. For us at Manincor, this is the moment to thank nature with a gift of camomile tea: We brew 2,000 liters of camomile tea at 75 degrees Centigrade, let it cool and then use it to spray our vineyards. Camomile helps the vines to complete the annual cycle better and to facilitate the shedding of the leaves. They are then drawn into the soil by earthworms and microorganisms, where they decompose and form valuable humus.

Late autumn
Now is the time to spread our mature compost. First we open up the soil in the vineyards with a spading machine, and then we work the compost into the soil together with the seeds for the cover crop.
Autumn rain is always very welcome: It helps the seeds germinate before the winter comes. A varied cover crop is good for the microorganisms in the soil and humus formation. Loose soil, enriched with various nutrients and living matter, is the best preparation for the years ahead.

Winter solstice
At the winter solstice on 21 December, snow cover is rare in Manincor. Above ground all is hibernation. It is the longest night; the sun remains low on the horizon. In this phase of rest, the forces and energies in the vineyard soils prepare for things to come.

Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve marks the beginning of the period of “Rauhnächte”. That corresponds to today’s 12 days of Christmas but in pagan beliefs is a time when the spirits are abroad. Less dramatically, it is the period between Christmas and Epiphany when the cosmos has the most immediate influence on the earth and human beings, when the earth – despite the darkness – is already wide awake, when the days slowly become longer again. For the Count and Countess it is time to burn incense and bless the house, courtyard, cellar and vineyards to protect them from harm.

January and February
In January and February the vines are dormant, taking a break from transporting the water and nutrients absorbed by their roots. Now is the time for our employees to prune each vine according to its individual needs. That makes a total of no less than 270,000 vines!

Beginning of spring
With the beginning of spring on 21 March, the sun has noticeably more strength and warms the earth day by day. As teh days grow warmer in march, something special happens in Manincor: In keeping with a family tradition, we collect the tears of the vines. We hang about 100 bottles on the vines where they have been pruned, and they are filled drop by drop with the sap bleeding from the cut surfaces. After a maximum of four weeks, this very special water is taken to the Trehs organic cosmetics company in the Sarn Valley, who produce the popular "Acqua Vinea Nobilis" line of skin care products.

Easter
Around Easter, which has fallen on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring since the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the two most important biodynamic preparations are processed: horn manure and horn silica. They are produced in Manincor itself and sprayed on the vines as the basic regulators of equilibrium in the vineyards.
Finely ground rock crystal is filled into cows’ horns and buried in the ground over the summer at a depth of about one meter. The silica preparation is then applied in the following year. It stimulates photosynthesis and fortifies the plants, strengthening them during growth, flowering, fruiting and ripening. The best results are achieved when it is sprayed in the early morning. The Count and Countess also use this remedy in their own vegetable garden.
Easter is also when the cows’ horns that were filled with fresh cow dung and buried at Michaelmas (29 September) are dug up. Over the winter, the cow dung has been transformed into the finest concentrated humus. In the spring and into the summer, we stir (dynamize) the horn manure in lukewarm water for 60 minutes and use it to spray the soil. This stimulates the natural cycles, the plants and the organisms in the soil. Our free-range chickens also benefit and reward us with especially tasty eggs.