"Life deepest wisdom lies in the wine"

"Life deepest wisdom lies in the wine"

An interview with PUR Moselle founder Joachim Molz

Joachim, the quote from our heading comes from a poem by the Persian poet Hafis. What thoughts do you combine with these poems as founders of PUR Moselle?

Not much ... do we have a different poem at hand? Maybe Rilke? I think more about it ... Fun aside ... Wine is a luxury food, it not only makes you enjoy it, but is stimulating. Last but not least, the idea for PUR Moselle came about in a certain wine -souled round. So - if you want - I discovered some wisdom in the wine ...

You are a successful entrepreneur in the IT industry, why do you get involved in a double risk: 1x the establishment of a new online wine portal for organic wines and 1x as the tenant of a vineyard in the city of Trier?

I have always dealt with start-ups and innovations in the past 30 years. In addition to my advisory activities, I wanted to try something with a high level of satisfaction for myself. I had always been committed to nature conservation and somehow this vineyard St. Maximiner Kreuzberg was offered.

I think that an engagement for the environment and the nature of the Moselle region cannot be separated from an engagement for ecological viticulture. Because viticulture in harmony with nature generally earns more attention; General and especially with the demands. Pur Moselle is supposed to develop this lobby and drum, tell stories and discuss topics for the ecological conversion of the Moselle wine region ... and of course also offer and sell the variety of products from our winemakers.

Your own vineyard is important for personal authenticity .... I want to know what the production of organic wine in steep slopes really means .... and that all year round. With a hectare of Riesling and approx. 45 % steeplide, I will be able to assess this at the end of this year 2021.

How does the work in the steep slope Weinberg work as a career changer?

The work is challenging and a full-time job in addition to marketing. After a few weeks you know how to better assess and appreciate the work of the winemakers ... above all to get by without chemical clubs and to observe and maintain nature is an exciting challenge.

The vineyard work in particular is a life and work with and in nature, what kind of new experiences have you gained so far, alongside a sore muscles?

So sore muscles are not a new experience for me as a athlete, cyclist and hiker, but due to the steep slope, it is actually different, you are challenged differently. The work in the vineyard brings an astonishing job satisfaction with it. At the end of a day, you look back on your day work very differently than if you had chatted on the computer all day in the home office. And the view from my vineyard across the city of Trier compensates for every hardness.

What makes PUR Moselle different from other online wine shops?

In fact, I am not concerned with the X-TE sales portal like Hawesko-a listed trading platform for wine and sparkling wine-but about the development of a brand around the organic wine of the Moselle, exclusively the Moselle including Saar and Ruwer and of course our Luxembourg Neighbors. And it is about forming a lobby for the "reversers" - that is, for conventional companies that take the step towards ecological viticulture. I don't want to be the next wine shop of a big German beverage company. I am concerned with mapping a new sales channel for the organic winemakers, which provides better contribution margins than standard trading. The organic winemaker also needs these yields much more than the conventional winegrower.

Just open an online shop for organic wine on the Internet is certainly not child's play?

Well ... it is already a large data volume that needs to be mastered. And to do it right, the eco-certification of the Society for Resource Protection (GFRS) was commissioned and successfully carried out. The special consideration of consumer protection is an important aspect in organic products. My old IT contacts helped me a lot and I learn new things every day. Ultimately, I have the same experience as every winemaker: Without IT, no successful operation can be managed.

Why do you concentrate exclusively on biological wine producers and conversion companies on the Moselle?

The Moselle is my home region, Trier is my neighborhood. I know a lot of wine regions from Uruguay to Latvia, from Canada to India - but the Moselle is just so versatile and again and again surprisingly in its facets that it was not a question of the limitation for me but a question of authenticity, the Moselle and its To stay people.

Is the Moselle area not too small in competition with other online wine shops to live from it?

I don't think, but this is also part of the challenge to develop a business model that is permanently wearing for the Moselle. I gave myself three years to scale and develop this model.

How does the cooperation with the winegrowers work?

The collaboration is still at the beginning - but it is characterized by trust ... and respect. My first six winemakers are very individual and outstanding personalities, they are brands of ecological viticulture. Experienced rabbits and young junior winemakers with class and a lot of their own style. I am very happy at the beginning to have met these "guys".

What are the reactions on PUR Moselle so far?

So far, the reactions are really very benevolent to euphoric and all in all more than motivating. The winemakers are happy about the special view of the Moselle and the coexistence with their colleagues. Customers are very interested in the stories and information that we have announced ... it will be an exciting year!

What are your further plans after the PUR Moselle starting phase until the end of the year?

If you buy PUR Moselle, you also have the opportunity to do something for the environment. Right at the beginning of the activity, I took over the sponsorship for a 2.5 hectare orchard in the neighborhood of the Pur Mosel vineyard. This meadow has now been examined, special features were recorded, it is mapped and prepared for targeted rejuvenation and reforestation. Our customers can leave “drinking money” when shopping. At the same time, we want to develop a 'reporting´ that helps document this nature conservation project and its successor projects - but understandable! So that things don't go like "Plant for the Planet" and other projects in which the use of support funds was no longer understandable after years. The documentation of our project will be a process - but we try to make a lot more correct than others.

At the end of the year we hope for a good first harvest for ourselves. In September we will register the vineyard to switch to ecological viticulture and start with the three -year certification process. That will be quite a challenge for me. I am already very grateful for the practical support of the United Hospitics and my organic winemaker and transformors.