Ahr Valley wine bottles sell as flood souvenirs

The Ahr Valley (Ahrtal in German) is`Germany`s largest red wine growing region, with it‘s most notable wines being Spätburgunder (pinot noir), Dornfelder, and Frühburgunder.

The region owes its name to the narrow river Ahr and is a magnet for German tourists wanting to enjoy the picturesque rocky region on wine tasting trips during summer and autumn.

The river meanders through the rocky terrain, which shows traces of the volcanic bedrock activity on which the wine friendly soil of this region is based. The vineyards here call for day excursions and one can combine hiking and wine tasting when one visits the Ahr valley.

Almost 1,500 hours of sunshine in the region and warm climes in comparison to other parts of western Europe create optimum conditions for growing grapes.And this was something that even the Romans appreciated 2,000 years ago. It is believed that winemaking was brought here by the Romans who planted vineyards here to have a local source of wine as they ruled over the Germanic tribes.

Since then it has developed a tradition of its own, with every village there having open-air wine festivals called Winzerfest, a perfect opportunity to taste wines and enjoy local delicacies and it all culminates in the tradition of crowning wine queens or princesses.

These quirky charms hide the hard work the vintners have to put in this rugged landscape, but their efforts are suitably rewarded with the fine wines they are able to produce.

Since the great flood of July 14, 2021, all the sureties of old times are gone, the narrow Ahr turned into a raging river on that Wednesday, taking everything in its path. More than 180 people lost their lives, houses, vineyards and existences have been destroyed.

The water flooded wine cellars, covering everything in its wake in mud and slime. Now some winemakers are trying to make the best of the situation they find themselves in. They are selling the Schlamm-Wein (wine bottles covered with mud and silt) and Germans have been enthusiastically buying the Ahr Schlamm-Wein.

I recently bought some bottles of rosé wine caked with mud from the vineyards of Josef Kreuzberg in Dernau.
The bottles show signs of the once in a century floods but once one has opened the bottle and taken a sip of the tannin-rich dry rosé, one wishes everything could be rebuilt as easily as bottles can be opened.
But it wont be and a long arduous road awaits the inhabitants of this region.