The owners of vineyards or persons authorized to use them are liable to pay the levy, provided that they cover more than 5 ares (=500 square meters). The levy amounts to € 0.67 per ar of the vineyard area of a farm shown as planted in the vineyard register.
Since the levy is collected on the basis of the information in the vineyard register, the timely and complete notification of changes in cultivation by 31.05. of a year (see Viticulture - Notifications) is of particular importance. The levy collected in the current calendar year is basically intended to promote the sale of the products obtained from the previous year's harvest.
The levy obligation therefore relates to the area reported to the vineyard register as planted at the time of harvest in the previous year. For example, the area under vines at the time of the 2018 harvest is relevant for the levy collected in 2019.
The levy is used to support measures to promote wine from Germany, in particular general public relations work, market research activities and the organization of trade fairs and exhibitions, as well as participation in these. To this end, the proceeds from the levy are forwarded to the German Wine Institute in Bodenheim.