Ahr wines: top quality rises from the floods

Despite the devastating flood disaster a year ago, on 14th July 2021, wine lovers can now look forward to top Ahr wines from the latest harvest.

Ahr valley winegrowers were able to harvest high-quality grapes from around 90 percent of their vineyards for the 2021 vintage, according to the German Wine Institute (DWI) .  This was only possible thanks to the amazing solidarity of the entire wine industry and the help of many volunteers from near and far. The high harvest quantity was also due to the location of most of the grape vines – growing on the higher slopes of the river valley, where they were spared from the raging water masses.

The wines were vinified in hastily restored cellars and buildings. “It’s unbelievable what the wineries and winegrowers’ cooperatives have achieved in their enterprises in the past few months. However, they still have a long way to go until they are fully rebuilt and they still need a lot of support. A visit to the region helps here, because wine tourism was and is an elementary economic factor on the Ahr,” explained DWI Managing Director, Monika Reule.

Tourist highlights and outstanding Pinot Noirs

The Rotweinwanderweg “Red Wine Trail” is one of the tourist highlights of the Ahr region. You can explore this beautiful region on over 35 kilometres of hiking trails from Bad Bodendorf to Altenahr … and also convince yourself of the exceptional quality of the Ahr wines from the local producers along the way.

The Ahr is the wine-growing region with the highest proportion of red wine in all Germany, according to the DWI. Over 80 percent of the remaining 500 hectares of vineyards are planted with red wine varieties, especially Pinot Noir, known as Spätburgunder, in Germany. The special terroir and the soil characterised by slate, give these grapes a very special character that is appreciated and sought-after by wine lovers worldwide.

Based on  an article from the German Wine Institute here .