Spätburgunder in the Ahr

It’s no secret in the wine world that Germany is not really known for its red wine. Eighty-five percent of the country’s output is the white wines that they’re so famed for. There is, however, one region which stands against the grain when it comes to stereotypes, and that is the Ahr valley bereich, which stretches along the northern slopes of the Mosel, along the Ahr river tributary of the mighty Rhine river.

Realistically, it’s only been a few decades that these wines have been a notable acumen to western Germany. In times well past, this region was known for its sickly young reds with little color or body, mouth-coating syrupiness, and wafting hairsprayed fruit, which offered about as much palatability and complexity as a wrapper of M&Ms. These days, however, the region is looked at in a much more serious light.

The Ahrweiler in the evening.

The smallest of the thirteen bereich in Germany, the Ahr region’s vineyard space is a mere 558 hectares under vine. That is only about six percent of the hectares under vine to the south on the Mosel, and about two percent of the growing area on the Rhine proper. This small region, nevertheless, occupies a large portion of the red wine market in Germany. For a long while German consumers were without a serious domestic red wine region, and were relegated to imports from France and the like.

While the Ahr has always been a red wine-growing region, It was mostly sustained by local bars and tourism to the very picturesque river, where foreigners desired to try regional wines that were affordable and readily available. This was made possible by a consortium of different cooperatives dedicated to production quantity, rather than quality.

Because of the seismic variation in geography in this region, and the sprawl of development, it can be hard to find areas to plant grapes at all. The tributary is short and the bordering walls are inexorably steep, which can be dangerous for vintners. Thus, overall output is invariably limited. Also notable is the difficulty you will go through to get a procure one of these wines stateside. The majority of the small output available, is practically all consumed within the borders of Germany. To add to the world-wide deficit, ten percent of the areas vineyards were destroyed in the flooding of the Ahr in 2021.

Ahr producers specialize in Pinot Noir, known locally as Spätbegrunder - though the region does grow other grapes as well, namely Riesling, the vast majority of wines are made from Pinot. As previously alluded to, the Ahr has not always had a reputation for quality, like other regions such a Burgundy. It was once known as touristy pink petrol.

It wasn’t until the nineteen eighties that producers like Werner Näkel, winemaker of Weingut Meyer-Näkel began introducing oak, and long macerations, that these wines began to come into their own, and express the complexity of their terroir. and the perspective of their winemaker. Compared to the holy-grail Pinot Noir region of Burgundy, however, you may be disappointed with the Ahr, if all you are interested in is terroir.

These wines tend to have far greater perspective than a lot of Pinot-dominated areas. Pinot is a grape that reflects its growing conditions extremely well, much to the dismay of many a careless winemaker. Much more skin contact is needed in the Ahr as opposed to Burgundy, due to this being a chillier region, and this can lead to stemmier flavors in the wine; and still, they are often much more pale in color.

Don’t get me wrong, the best of the best here, are incredible, and though less costly than Burgundy, no less desirable especially of late. Climate change is driving these recent prestigious vintages, heating up the area and allowing for full development of the tannin so that the wines will come into their own, mature, and tell you what’s what in their own language. Whereas at one point in the Ahr’s wine-growing history, a south-western aspect was preferred, now often some of the newly-christened desirable Cru have south-eastern aspects. The most sought after wines will fetch more than some of Germany’s top Rieslings.

Producers often add much more new oak to wines, and often American. This can add a lot more caramel, and cinnamon flavors to the wine, making it spicier, and more complex. It creates an interesting taxonomy that differs greatly from the radical self-expression happening across the boarder. That being said, these wines can often be extraordinarily stunning in their own right.

The vast majority of soils here are a blue-slate topsoil, and calcareous-marl blend with shards of granite in some areas, and a fine sandstone bedrock. This makes the soil very well-draining, which is important for high-quality grapes. The latitude is a staggering fifty degrees at its most southerly edge. That is the equivalent of the upper-peninsula in Michigan. Thus, acidity is often higher than in Burgundy as well, though the temperature is regulated by the river, as opposed to the continental climate which brings on cold snaps and late-season frosts associated with Burgundy.

The Ahr region in general, has a hard time ripening Pinot, and only the best spots are capable of producing the region’s most sought after wines. In the past, under the old mode of German bottle-labeling which was needlessly complex and irritating, this would have been called tröcken Auslese.

Fortunately, Germany has mostly done away with this type of labeling and installed a peculiar new system, the VDP, which rather than simply confuse consumers, seems to confuse producers as well, because they can’t seem to label wines without amalgamating both the new and old systems into a frankenstein nightmare of… I digress.

Now most bottles of best-site, first-growth or Grand Cru Ahr Spätbegrunder bound for international consumers are labeled today simply as the German translation: Grosses Lage. There are only a handful of these sites in the tiny region.

The Ahr is divided into smaller sub-sections surrounding the wine-growing towns. Grosseslage are divided up in the following manner. There are two sites in the town of Heimersheim: Landskrone and Burggarten; Three in Neuenahr: Kirchtürmchen, Sonnenberg and Schieferlay; Two in Ahrweiler: Rosenthal and Silberberg; Two in Walporzheim: Kräuterberg and Gärkammer; Two in Dernau: Pfarrwingert and Hardtberg; One, Herrenberg, in Rech; Mönchberg in Mayschos, and Eck in Altenahr.

Heimersheim

Landskrone - Has some of the finest and best-draining soils in the Ahr.

This small vineyard has a lack of water, but in the summers this is

not an issue. It lies on a higher plain with decent humidity that can

keep vines from shutting off production.

Burggarten - This name is in regards to Philip of Swabia’s castle,

specifically to the garden in which the vineyard is contained.

The soils here consist of greywacke, and loess, volcanic basalt, with a

desirable western aspect.

Neuenahr

Kirchtürmchen - Known for its weathered soils that are thin on top and

end abruptly into drining bedrock, these soils are perfect for high quality

wine. This package comes complete with a nice south-western aspect.

Sonnenberg - This vineyard contains thin soils that are basalt and clay,

with loess mixed in around the bedrock. It produces wines with good

earthiness. The name refers to the plethora of sunlight this region receives.

Schieferlay - It’s named for its late soils, crumbled and blue. These soils are

fairly common in the Mosel, but seen less often in the Ahr. The slate here

is the size of roof shingles, and sits on the top.

Ahrweiler

Rosenthal - Adjacent to Ahrweiler, this site has a south-eastern slope, and

is made of loess-loam and shale.

Daubhaus - This vineyard is very steep, being at the base of Forstberg, and

lies right next door to Rosenthal. It has similar soils with the addition of

greywacke.

Silberberg - Just to the east, four pillars from an old railway bridge mark the

entry into a shallow valley of loess and greywacke. These soils are

good-draining.

Walporzheim

Kräuterberg - This vineyard is cut into the gorge, and is notably steep. It

sits on the south-eastern facing slope near the warmth of the river. The soils

are thin, stony and often sandy. They are excellent draining and the height

and aspect are prime for sun exposure.

Gärkammer - This vineyard is directly adjacent, and is made up of the same

aspect and height determinants. It is higher on the hill, and faces more south.

Dernau

Pfarrwingert - This vineyard is in the middle of the valley, where the edges of

the valley are less steep. It lis on the banks of the river, and is made of mostly

greywacke with soils that ripen the grapes.

Hardtberg - The southerly aspect here puts this vineyard just above the river, still

receiving the benefits of the warmth. It contains a large amount of loess.

Rech

Herrenberg - The Lord’s Hill, it lies on the steep outcrop of the rock which is made

up of slate and greywacke. These soils are very dry, rocky soils, and great

diurnal shift at altitude.

Mayschos

Mönchberg - In the Mönchberg vineard, you will find soils of greywacke,

loess and fine clay. There is an easterly aspect, and a dynamic

amount of sun. The wines are light and full of red fruit and minerality.

Altenahr

Eck - This precocious, easterly-pearched site is known for its incredible

loess, and greywacke soils that are well-draining and fine.

The wine that I would definitely recommend from the Ahr is Enderle and Moll Liaison. this wine comes from a collection of vineyard sites and is sold at a reasonable price. It’s a good entry-point into the Ahr, and an excellent all-rounder with food. It conjures flavors of red pomegranate, fresh black cherry, button mushroom, clover, cinnamon and finishes with delightful long, ribbony tannin and refreshing acidity.

Another excellent wine to try, if you’re looking for an entry point into the Ahr, is Blauschiefer, by the world-renown producer, Meyer - Näkel. This wine is leathery, with notes of spice and tobacco. There is a lot of minerality, and clover flavors with some fresh raspberry and light strawberry flavors. This producer is more quintessentially Ahr in their use of wood, which is generous, but acceptable here. There are some complex earthy tones here like forest floor, or wet slate, but nothing close to truffle or swamp. It’s incredibly pleasant.

That's all,

~K