Theo Becker (oenologist)

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Theo Becker (born January 30, 1927 in Haßloch ( Pfalz ), † March 27, 2006 in Deidesheim ) was a German oenologist . He became known as a functionary of the Palatinate Wine Brotherhood , which he headed for almost 30 years as master of the order.

Life

Becker graduated from the Agricultural University in Weihenstephan . When he was doing his doctorate there , he was the first doctoral student with a viticulture topic . As a qualified farmer , he managed a teaching and experimental farm for viticulture in Deidesheim , which belonged to Hoechst AG from 1972 .

Becker wrote numerous books about wine . The best known was In der Rebe, which was also published in an English edition. In addition to countless technical articles on wine, he published the Deidesheimer Letters with professional advice for winemakers . But he also knew how to bring the wine closer to laypeople and led many wine seminars and wine tastings with great verbosity and humor .

As the successor to Leopold Reitz , Becker led the Palatinate Wine Brotherhood from 1972 to 2002 as master of the order and was then made an honorary grandmaster . He saw his task as being the “wine conscience” of the Palatinate, advocating clean, honest wine and opposing its uniformity. For him, wine was not just a luxury item , it was also an important cultural asset . That is why he repeatedly sought contact with artists, scientists and writers through the Wine Brotherhood.

It was not just his poor health that contributed to his retirement as master of the wine fraternity in 2002. Five years earlier, in an article for the 1997 homeland yearbook of the Bad Dürkheim district, many readers felt that he had described too one-sidedly the advantages of the Hitler Youth organization that he had experienced as a boy; Despite a foreword by the editors, the rejection of the article haunted him for some time and led to lasting bitterness in him.

Works

  • Impact on the development of the vines through copper-containing and copper-free plant protection products . Verlag Horn, Munich 1957 (dissertation).
  • Life in the vine . The picture book of wine. 2., ext. Edition. Pfälzische Verlagsanstalt, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 1979, ISBN 3-87629-065-1 (with drawings by Hans Moster; 1st edition 1970).
  • Viticulture in the old days . A picture series selected and described by Theo Becker. Verlag Meininger, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 1983, ISBN 3-87524-033-2 .
  • Vine country . A year in the vineyard. Pfälzische Verlagsanstalt, Landau in der Pfalz 1990, ISBN 3-87629-155-0 (with photos by Karlheinz Schmeckenbecher).

Awards

Becker has received many awards for his services to wine. Among other things, he received the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon in 1975 and the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class in 1992. In the same year he was made an honorary member of the German Viticulture Association .

In 1984 he received the German Wine Culture Award ; In 1987 he was awarded the Knight of the German Wine Route by the Palatinate Wine Brotherhood. The European Institute for Culture, History and Folklore in Florida awarded him an honorary professorship .

During the Second World War , Becker was awarded the Iron Cross First Class, among other things .

literature

  • Gerhard Berzel and Liane Kloss: Theo Becker. A profile from the Palatinate . Graduate farmer, wine specialist, master of the order of the Wine Brotherhood of the Palatinate. Wine Brotherhood of the Palatinate, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 1997.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ My years in the young people . In: Bad Dürkheim district (Hrsg.): Heimatjahrbuch 1997 . Verlag Englram & Partner, Haßloch 1996, ISBN 3-926775-15-7 , p. 153 f .
  2. ^ Youth before and after the war . Foreword by the editors. In: Bad Dürkheim district (Hrsg.): Heimatjahrbuch 1997 . Verlag Englram & Partner, Haßloch 1996, ISBN 3-926775-15-7 , p. 153 .
  3. ^ A b Viktor Carl: Lexicon of Palatinate personalities . Arwid Hennig Verlag, Edenkoben 1998, ISBN 3-9804668-2-5 , p. 43 f .
personal data
SURNAME Becker, Theo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German oenologist
DATE OF BIRTH January 30, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Hassloch , Germany
DATE OF DEATH March 27, 2006
Place of death Deidesheim , Germany