| Ahr |
Description to Ahr
The production area, named after a tributary of the Rhine, is located in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. The Ahr has its source in the Eifel and flows south of Bonn into the Rhine. The vineyards cover 563 hectares of vineyards on south-facing steep slopes in the lower and middle part of the deeply incised river valley over a length of about 25 kilometres. In 2014, a significant decision was made in the Ahr valley in favour of ecologically sound, sustainable viticulture. It is the first wine-growing region in Germany to do without insecticides across the board. In the "Gourmet & Wine" event series, restaurateurs work together with top winegrowers and bring culinary delights in harmony with art and culture.
Climate and soil
In the upper region between Altenahr and Marienthal, slate weathering soils predominate in the narrow valley areas. Here the vineyards reach almost to the river. In the lower region between Walporzheim and Heimersheim there is mainly loess loam soils offset with stone weathering. In the steep terraced areas, soils, rocks and vineyard walls made of slate and greywacke store the sun's heat, release it back to the vines at night and thus create a mild, Mediterranean microclimate with relatively high temperatures.
Area, municipalities and locations
The only area is called Walporzheim-Ahrtal, which consists of the only large Klosterberg site with a total of 43 individual layers. The winegrowing communities with their individual sites are:
- Ahrweiler: Daubhaus, Forstberg, Riegelfeld, Rosenthal, Silberberg, Steinkaul, Ursuline Garden
- Altenahr: corner, Übigberg
- Bachem: Karlskopf, sunshine, Steinkaul
- Bad Neuenahr: Church tower, Schieferley, Sonnenberg
- Dernau: castle garden, Goldkaul, Hardtberg, Pfarrwingert, Schieferlay
- Ehlingen: Kapellenberg
- Heimersheim: Burggarten, Kapellenberg, Landskrone
- Heppingen: Mountain, Burggarten
- Marienthal: Jesuit garden, monastery garden, Rosenberg, Stiftsberg, Trotzenberg
- Mayschoß: castle mountain, Laacherberg, Mönchberg
- Neuenahr: church steeple, Schieferlay, Sonnenberg
- Rech: Flower, Hardtberg, Herrenberg
- Reimerzhoven: Corner
- Walporzheim: Alte Lay, Domlay (abandoned 2017), fermentation chamber, Himmelchen, Kräuterberg, Pfaffenberg
List of vine varieties
There were no major changes compared to 2009. Although the Ahr valley is the northernmost German wine growing region, over four-fifths of red wine varieties are cultivated here. Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) dominates with two thirds of the total area. The supremacy is also underlined by the "Ahr-Red Wine Route" and the parallel "Red Wine Trail". The status 2018 (0 = less than 0.5 ha):
| Grape variety german Main name |
In Germany common synonyms |
Colour | Hectare 2018 |
%- Ant |
Hectare 2009 |
| Pinot Noir inclusive velvet red |
Pinot Noir, Blauer S., Pinot Noir Blue Pinot Noir clone Samtrot |
red | 368 | 65,4 | 343 |
| Riesling | White Riesling, Rhine Riesling | white | 46 | 8,2 | 44 |
| Early Burgundy | Blauer Frühburgunder, Clevner | red | 35 | 6,2 | 36 |
| Regent | - | red | 18 | 3,2 | 19 |
| White Burgundy | Pinot Blanc, Pinot Blanc | white | 18 | 3,2 | 10 |
| Portuguese | Blue Portuguese | red | 17 | 3,0 | 41 |
| Müller-Thurgau | Rivaner, Riesling-Sylvaner | white | 14 | 2,5 | 15 |
| Dornfelder | - | red | 10 | 1,8 | 17 |
| Dominatrix | - | red | 9 | 1,6 | 10 |
| Ruländer | Pinot Gris, Pinotgris | white | 8 | 1,4 | 3 |
| Solaris | - | white | 3 | 0,5 | 1 |
| Acolone | - | red | 2 | 0,4 | 3 |
| Chardonnay | - | white | 2 | 0,4 | 0 |
| Dark fields | - | red | 2 | 0,4 | 2 |
| Blue Zweigelt | Zweigelt, Rotburger | red | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Cabernet cortis | - | red | 1 | 0,2 | - |
| Cabernet Mitos | - | red | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Cabernet sauvignon | - | red | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Dakapo | - | red | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Johanniter | - | white | 1 | 0,2 | 0 |
| Kerner | - | white | 1 | 0,2 | 2 |
| Ortega | - | white | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Rotberger | - | red | 1 | 0,2 | 1 |
| Blanc sauvignon | - | white | 1 | 0,2 | - |
| Seasoning | - | white | 1 | 0,2 | 0 |
| Cabernet Cubin | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Cabernet dorsa | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Cabernet franc | - | red | 0 | - | 0 |
| Cabertin | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Hegel | - | white | 0 | - | 1 |
| Huxelrebe | - | white | 0 | - | 0 |
| Merlot | - | red | 0 | - | 1 |
| Monarch | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Milling vine | Black Riesling, Pinot Meunier | red | 0 | - | 0 |
| Muscaris | - | white | 0 | - | - |
| Neronet | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Palas | - | red | 0 | - | 0 |
| Pinotine | - | red | 0 | - | - |
| Red traminer | Traminer / Gewürztraminer | white | 0 | - | 0 |
| Saint Laurent | Saint Laurent | red | 0 | - | 0 |
| Saphira | - | white | 0 | - | - |
| Sauvignon gris | - | white | 0 | - | - |
| Bacchus | - | white | - | - | 0 |
| otherwise. white varieties | - | white | 0 | - | 1 |
| otherwise. red varieties | - | red | 0 | - | 1 |
| WHITE TYPES | 96 | 17,1 | 79 | ||
| RED VARIETIES | 467 | 82,9 | 478 | ||
| TOTAL | 563 | 100 | 557 |
Producers
In 1868, one of the oldest winegrowers' cooperatives in the world was established in Mayschoß with the founding of the winegrowers' cooperative Mayschoß-Altenahr. Other well-known producers are Adeneuer, Ahrweiler Winzer-Verein eG, Ahr Winzer eG, Bertram Julia, Burggarten, Deutzerhof, Heiner & Kreuzberg, Jean Stodden, Kreuzberg, Kriechel Peter, Maibachfarm, Meyer-Näkel, Nelles Thomas, Riske Erwin, Riske Reinhold, Sermann-Kreuzberg, Weingut Sonnenberg and Weinmanufaktur Walporzheim. The German former chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) purchased his red wines from some of the wineries.