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Ahr: Wine from the Valley of Destiny

The Ahr has been linked to the terrible flood disaster of 2021. But to peddle exclusively with this tragedy in order to sell the Ahr wines does them a disservice. After all, the Spätburgunders and the Frühburgunders from here shine with a radiance that is unmatched not only in Germany but also internationally.

They were deeply disturbing and horrific images that went around the world in July 2021. It was a flood disaster the likes of which Germany has rarely seen. In the Ahr Valley alone, more than 150 people lost their lives in the floods. And some winemakers were faced with the rubble of their existence. In total, the flood destroyed 10% of the vine area on the Ahr River. In addition, there were destroyed wine warehouses and wine cellars. What followed was an extraordinary show of help. Wine lovers donated to various campaigns, wine-growing associations helped locally, as well as numerous wineries from other German growing regions. It was a collective act of strength that welded German viticulture together - and saved the small harvest of 2021.

By now, most of the damage has been repaired, and the Ahr wine is back on everyone's lips - and in the true sense of enjoyment. Still, the scars of the devastation will probably always be present. As cruel as this natural disaster was, it would be wrong to link the Ahr wines exclusively to this one. They could speak for themselves very well before - and should do so again now. After all, wine-growing has been happening on the Ahr, one of the smallest wine-growing regions in Germany, but with the largest contiguous red wine acreage, for many centuries.

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The history of the Ahr wine

It is believed that the Romans, who reached the Ahr Valley before the birth of Christ, were already growing wine there. But this is not proven. The history of viticulture in the Ahr Valley is documented up to the 8th century. Century traceable. According to a gift deed from 755, a certain Odilbert transferred a "wingert of some rods' at Remagen to the monastery of Stablo, which is located in present-day Belgium. It was the beginning of numerous donations to various monasteries in the region. By 1200, 80% of the vineyards were in ecclesiastical hands. The monks cultivated mainly white grape varieties. Red grapes did not make their way into the Ahr Valley until after the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648). But they were then processed like a white wine, making it pale pink. This wine was then called "Ahrbleichert."

From 1794 to 1813, French troops occupied the area around the Ahr and secularized it, causing the church and monasteries to lose the vines. Viticulture almost ground to a halt during this period, as the French imported very cheap wines from their homeland. Even after the occupation, the Ahr wine did not find a green branch. Although the cultivation area passed to Prussia in 1815 and benefited for 20 years from punitive tariffs on French wines, Prussia joined the German Customs Association in 1833, which caused sales to cease completely, especially to Belgium. There were also numerous crop failures. This went on for several decades - until in 1868 18 winemakers joined together to form a cooperative for the first time.

By 1898, a total of 20 winegrowers' cooperatives were founded in the Ahr Valley, which even exported their red wines on trains to Africa with the help of German protection troops. Only a few of the winegrowers' co-operatives remain. The self-marketing wineries now dominate, but they still focus on red wine production. A total of 64.3% of all vineyards are planted with red grape varieties. Especially Spätburgunder. Another Ahr wine specialty is Spätburgunder, of which there are also old vines.

Ahr wine: Good to know

 

Subsections

Total vine area

Single vineyards

Wineries

Annual production

3 (upper, middle and lower Ahr valley)

531 hectare

40

11

⌀ 38.000
 hectolitres

Ahr wine: geography and climate

The Ahr Valley is the northernmost wine-growing region in Germany. It lies south of Cologne and Bonn. In the north-west, it is bounded by the Ahr Mountains, on the lower and middle Ahr it is the Hohe Eifel. In general, the soils are very deep and rich. Especially in the lower Ahr Valley. However, in the middle Ahr Valley, you can find very stony soils and partly slate and volcanic rock. Particularly noteworthy here are the barren slate slopes of Walporzheim, Dernau and Mayschoß, whose vineyards produce very expressive red wines. The quantities, however, are very limited. Quantitatively, the Ahr wines from Löss dominate with their fruity character.

Due to the cool continental climate, it would actually be almost too cool on the Ahr - as on the Mosel - to produce wine. But here the Ahr has a balancing influence. In addition, the sunlight in the steep slopes is particularly intense. The slate rocks and the vineyard walls in the steep slopes also store the sun's heat during the day and give it off again at night, which also has a very balancing effect. Depending on the location, it may even be that a Mediterranean microclimate prevails, which has a very positive effect on the cultivation of red grape varieties. This also shows how important the individual slopes are for the Ahr wine. That is why we now look at the most important individual layers in detail.

Ahr wines in detail

 

Grape varieties Area

Grape varieties Prestige

Climate

Climatic influences

Soils

Spätburgunder (340 hectares), Riesling (46 hectares), Frühburgunder (31 hectares)
 

Late Burgundy & Early Burgundy

chilled continental

Ahr (river), Ahrgebirge, High Eifel

deep loess, shale, volcanic rock

Important locations for Ahr wine

In general, the Ahr wines can be divided into two types. On the one hand, there would be the fruity and charming plants, and on the other the deep character crescendos, which often have a fascinating smoky note. And it doesn't matter if it's late burgundy, early burgundy or riesling. The main reason, of course, lies in the soil, but the climate can also be quite different. What follows is an overview of the main varieties.

Heimersheimer Landkrone

With an incline of up to 55%, the Landskrone stretches along the Ahr. Its volcanic cone towers over the town of Heimersheim. The Landskrone, with its rocky soil and high retaining walls, is the first location when you follow the Ahr downstream. The soils are made of basalt and slate, but also of clay. Together with the vineyard walls, the sun's heat is optimally stored thanks to its southerly orientation. The Landskrone is located in the heart of the region, where the region's late and early burgundy grapes come from.

Heimersheimer Burggarten

Grauwacke and Grauwacken slate dominate this area. But you can also find Löss, Löss and Basalt. That is why the Spätburgunders from the Burggarten, which lies at an altitude of between 80 and 200 metres above sea level, are able to distinguish decisively. Vines standing on Grauwacke, for example, produce a fruity, spicy Ahr wine here, while Löss or Lehm are more responsible for vigorous and full-bodied varieties. If a Spätburgunder from the Burggarten is rather bulky, its vines grow on basalt.

Bad Neuenahrer Sonnenberg

In Bad Neuenahr, the river valley is a bit wider. The soils in the Sonneberg are mostly sandstone and slate, although you can also find greywacke. With a gradient of up to 45%, the late and early burgundy vines benefit from the southerly orientation, which allows them to get the full intensity of the sun.

Ahrweiler Silberberg

Again, we are dealing with a very diverse situation. On the one hand you can find Greywacke, but on the other hand you can also find Slate and Löss. Spätburgunder is the main grape variety. So these Ahr wines are both fruity and full-bodied - depending on the type of soil. Due to the gradient, which is up to 60%, the wines can also be very different in their intensity due to the different effect of the sun.

Waldporzheim fermentation chamber

With less than 0.7 hectares of vines, the fermentation chamber in Waldporzheim is one of the smallest in Germany. Here you can find only Spätburgunder, which grows on spectacular wine terraces on Grauwacke or weathered slate with sandy clay. Some of the vines are even rooted.

Dernau Parrwinger

The special thing about Pfarrwingert: The location is in the lower part of a semi-basin above Dernau. This protects it from the cooler winds prevailing here. Greywacke, weathered slate and also a small proportion of clay slate characterize the soil. The Pfarrwingert is one of the hottest locations on the Ahr - which is why the late and early burgundy are correspondingly intense.

Mayschlossberg

This is the best location for Ahr wine. To the north, a forest holds off cold winds, while slate walls on the terraced slope also store warmth and create a very special microclimate. Greywacke dominates the soil, complemented by a small amount of clay. The early and late burgundy, which come from the Mönchberg, shine with an elegant spice.

Recher Herrenberg

With a gradient of up to 60 per cent, the terraced vineyard looms over the village of Rech. The sunny south-facing slope has a stony soil dominated by volcanic rock, slate and greywacke. This is where mainly Burgundy grows. What's special is that there has never been a clearing. That is why you can still find many root-bearing vines.

Ahr: Economic factor wine

The Ahr wine plays only a minor role on the international stage due to the small production volume of only 38,000 hectolitres alone. Large quantities are difficult to import. But in the end, this is one of the big selling points for the wines of the Ahr: the quantities are small - and therefore rare. In addition, since the floods, there has been a highly emotional factor associated with the crops. Many local winemakers have indeed been fighting for their existence. The reconstruction has been enormous. All the more impressive that most wineries are now back to regular production.
In addition to the wine, wine tourism on the Ahr is also very important. This is thanks in part to the Red Wine Migrant Trail, which draws an impressive number of tourists to the German wine-growing region each year.

Your selling points for Ahr wines

  • Wines in every price segment so that many different customers can be targeted with them
  • Emotional storytelling due to the 2021 flood disaster
  • Mostly excellent value for money
  • Early Burgundy as an exotic red wine
  • Wide range: Juicy fruity everyday wines and mineral-noble Large plants







 
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