Old valued, new technologies

January in Manincor: a time that brings quiet to the vineyards; a time that leaves you free to think. The ground is frozen, the air is cold and clear, sunlight flows between leafless rows of vines. As if it were the breath of the world, mist rises from the lake.

It is also the time for the winery blessing, in which the vineyards and buildings are blessed with holy water and frankincense. This is a living tradition in Manincor, one that has been constantly practiced by Count Michael and Countess Sophie, with their son Kassian this year taking over for the first time.

Confidence in the next generations

We have met to talk about passing on knowledge and experience, about the relationship between preservation and renewal, about responsibility and trust.
Count Michael begins by saying, “Sometimes it is easier to introduce a new idea than to preserve an old one.” His body language tells us: The relationship between tradition and innovation is something he takes very seriously. “Our family has lived and worked here for generations. With every step we take, we think about what we want to leave behind for our descendants.” This mindset permits the use of new technologies in Manincor. But innovation should not be an end in itself; it must serve the values that are rooted in the family tradition.
Countess Sophie: “We see ourselves as temporary administrators, looking from the past to the present and thinking about the future. This means taking responsibility – for the people who work here, for the environment and for the quality of our wines. For our children and our grandchildren, we are building a foundation that is both stable and vibrant.”

The art of omission

People who are technically gifted like Count Michael and have been driven by a spirit of invention from a young age are always interested in the latest developments. It is clear, however, that new ideas require critical analysis and that the old ways must always be reassessed.
At Manincor, they sometimes deliberately take a step back and decide against the latest innovation. “We could automate many of the processes involved,” says Count Michael, “but there are some aspects where we have decided to hold back. We still prune the vines by hand, for example, rather than using electric shears.” When pruning by hand, you focus your attention on the vines and make the cuts with the necessary care to minimize the damage. Similarly, the biodynamic preparations used at Manincor are stirred by hand, which also adds the human spirit to the process.
“It’s all about the art of omission,” says the Count thoughtfully, “meaning less human intervention, and more trust in nature and what nature can give us. We place our trust in the natural yeasts from the vineyard, for example. This requires more patience, but the wines are more authentic.”
This philosophy is also reflected in the winemaking at Manincor. Wherever possible, gravity is used to take the wine on its journey through the cellar – this is the gentler approach, one that preserves the aromas better. In the increasingly hot weeks of the grape harvest, on the other hand, cooling is now needed to slow down the fermentation process and so preserve the delicate nuances in the wines.
“Our wine must be given time, the right time,” says Count Michael. “The rhythms of nature, including the phases of the moon, also influence our work in the cellar. We use the period of the waning moon to separate the clear wine from the lees and thus avoid unnecessary filtration by mechanical means.”
This principle is also applied to barrel maturation: “We have reverted to ageing our wines almost exclusively in oak barrels. We also make use of oaks from our own forest, as these barrels preserve the territorial character of the wine. Of course, the wood should not dominate the wine but simply let it breathe. The wine tells the story of the vintage and expresses its soul.”

Traditions maintained, innovations ventured

Countess Sophie takes us on a tour of the famous Cellar in the Vineyard, which was a sensation when it was built over twenty years ago. “We decided to go for an innovative, more sustainable, but also more ambitious design. It was a venture, one that has definitely paid off. The Cellar in the Vineyard has a minimal impact on the landscape and is a sign of our respect for nature, to which we owe so much.”
We are grateful, for example, for the wood that we can use in the form of wood chips to heat our cellar, offices and the house – in today’s world a fitting approach to natural resources, combining old ideas and new technologies.
The climate in the Cellar in the Vineyard is ideal for maturing and storing the wines. The cellar incorporates a geothermal system with 28 probes located at depths of up to 80 meters, which was an absolute innovation at the time of construction and has since proved invaluable in maintaining optimum climatic conditions. “It was an investment in the future – and a clear sign of how tradition and modernity can go hand in hand.”
This relationship is also evident in the vineyards, where herbs, flowers and cereals grow between the rows of vines. “The cover crop promotes biodiversity and improves the water balance of the soil,” says Countess Sophie. “ It enables the soil to better absorb and store the rain. The vines draw moisture from the deeper layers and so are less prone to drought stress.”
Or take the Manincor approach to compost: “This is also produced from our own resources, such as the grape marc. The next step is to capture the heat from the composting process and feed it into our heating system,” says Countess Sophie. “It’s a cycle that shows how creative thinking can support working in the spirit of sustainability and respect.”
Count Michael adds: “Biodynamic preparations are of central and essential importance. In various situations we spray nettle, chamomile and horsetail teas as well as horn manure and horn silica preparations. They have vitalizing, calming, nourishing and balancing effects. This is working with knowledge that was once taken for granted and is now gaining in importance again.”

Technology with a sure instinct

“We also employ modern technologies, of course,” says Count Michael, as we turn to the subject of drones. In some cases, they are now replacing the quad bikes in the vineyards, which themselves were introduced as an alternative to tractors. Drones cause less soil compaction than any vehicle. At Manincor, they are used to apply the biodynamic preparations. They could also be fitted with sensors to analyze the state of the vines. “Technology must be employed with great sensitivity. The aim is to support nature, not to dominate it. Very often, we place greater reliance on the trained eye than on algorithms.”
“What we are doing here is not an either-or situation,” Countess Sophie concludes. “We combine tradition and innovation. The one needs the other for continued success.”
“It’s like wine,” Count Michael adds. “It’s all a question of a sure instinct.