Weekend in the Ahr

Just back from a quick wine tasting tour of the Ahr, with wine friend Berry (a Spätburgunder afficionado). Two objectives: to taste as many good pinots as possible and to check what places would make good visits for a "Brabantse Wijnsociëteit" trip to the area in spring next year.

We left Tilburg on Saturday around 8 AM, to find ourselves tasting at around 10:30 at the Maibachfarm shop in downtown Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. The Früh- rather than the Spätburgunder turned out to be best. After some coffee and pie, J.J. Adeneuer was next on the list. This house has, according to the guides (Eichelmann and Gault Millau) improved greatly over the last few years and is now in the "Spitze" of German wines estates. I was looking forward to tasting their Walporzheimer Gärkammer wines, but found their "No. 1" (both wines € 22) without vineyard designation just a bit more approachable. The Gärkammer Grosses Gewächs from 2007 (€ 54) had already been opened a week ago and was thus not showing well.

From Adeneuer we went west into the valley. First a stop at Kriechel. This was a rather busy (locals popping in for one or two weekend bottles) bar-style sales room. Again, we prefered the Frühburgunder, labeled "B" for barrique. On to Deutzerhof for what I guess was the best tasting of the trip. Tasting here takes place in a conservatory, overlooking the steep and impressive vineyard amphitheater that is the Mayschosser Mönchberg. Some wines had gluey aromas, something I mainly associate with Italian wines, and low and behold, the owner compared them (the Dornfelder that is) to Dolcetto. We tasted quite a few other varieties too - Riesling, Früh- and Spätburgunder, Portugieser. I really liked the Grosses Gewächs, the 2006 Mayschosser Mönchberg. Not exactly a steal at € 48 but a wine that combined some serious stuffing with an astonishing freshness of the fruit, that according to the owner would not change for a couple more years - and obviously, then would make way for more complex flavors.

We ate dinner at the restaurant of Meyer-Näkel, like Adeneuer and Deutzerhof one of the big names here, and stayed the night at Kreuzberg.

Next morning started with a tasting at Kreuzberg itself. The surprise here was a blanc de noirs, a very crisp and clean white wine. The red wines were OK, too, our favorite wine being a single vineyard Neuenahrer Schieferlay pinot (€ 14). Speaking of "pinot": we learned that in some years' time German wine labels will change significantly as the result of new European laws no longer permitting "Spätburgunder" but requesting that "Pinot Noir" be used. Riesling wil still be "Riesling", luckily.

A quick visit to the oldest cooperative in the world, the Mayschoss-Altenahr Winzergenossenschaft, to buy some Sekt, ended our trip. Definitely fun, instructive and let's see what our fellow wine club members think this spring!