The flash flood emptied the cellars of the wineries and destroyed entire vineyards.
Now at least the 2021 vintage should be saved - with the help of winemakers from the Moselle.
Dernau - Nothing is what it used to be in the Ahr wine-growing region.
The flood of July 14th put most of the 65 main occupation vintners in dire straits.
Some had to fight for their lives on the night of the disaster.
Because presses and other equipment were also destroyed, the growing area, which is known for its red wines, is dependent on help from other regions in order to secure the harvest, which begins in eight weeks.
The managing director of the Weinbauverband Ahr, Knut Schubert, estimates the damage to stored wine alone at 48 to 50 million euros.
Winemaker: "The extent of the damage cannot be overlooked"
"We assume that there is not a single barrel, no tank and almost no bottle of wine left," says winemaker Julia Baltes in Dernau.
The rented cellar in the neighboring village of Rech fell victim to the floods.
"In the main camp in Dernau we were able to save a few bottles that now have some patina."
The full extent of the damage cannot be overlooked because some areas of the winery are not yet accessible, says the winemaker, who was the German wine queen in 2012/13.
Some lower-lying vineyards have been destroyed, but there is hope for the 2021 vintage that thanks to the help offered by companies on the Moselle, wine will be produced.
Viticulture Ministry: Still unclear about missing persons
Important equipment for this, such as the entrapper for removing the grape stalks from the berries or presses for pressing the red wine grapes after they have stood in the mash, has been destroyed, says Baltes. The rooms for production and storage are no longer there either, so she hopes to be able to bring the 21 harvest to the cellars of winemakers on the Moselle. So far, there is no prospect of buying the equipment and starting again, as the entire infrastructure in the valley has been destroyed. It is also unclear when there will be running water and electricity again.
Two winegrowers were swept away by the floods of the Ahr on the night of the disaster, as the German Wine Institute (DWI) found out.
They stayed in a tree for seven hours before they could be rescued by the fire brigade in a boat.
Many winegrowers have suffered human losses among friends and acquaintances, says a spokeswoman for the viticulture ministry.
In addition, there is still uncertainty about many missing people.
Weinbauverband Ahr: "Most winemakers are on the edge of their existence"
The President of the Ahr Viticulture Association, Hubert Pauly, also took part in rescue and recovery work. The devastation extends from Altenahr to Ahrweiler. "Most winemakers are on the edge of their existence," says association manager Schubert. The roughly 1,000 part-time winemakers who bring their grapes to the wine press via the three winegrowers' cooperatives on the Ahr are also affected.
“Most of the wineries have suffered a total loss,” says Schubert. A significant part of the 2017 to 2019 vintages and the entire 2020 vintage have been lost - with an annual production of an average of four million liters, the growing area achieves a turnover of around 32 million euros per year. In the cost-intensive steep-slope viticulture, the growing area known for its Pinot Noir achieves higher average prices per liter of wine than other regions.
According to the Ministry of Viticulture, several lower-lying vineyards near the Ahr were completely destroyed, partly by landslides.
Due to the increased risk of fungal attack due to the moisture, the authorities approved the helicopter spraying with pesticides.
At the moment, however, the airspace is still closed to civil flights, so this operation is not yet possible.
External helpers are already in action - great solidarity among winemakers
"Especially in Ahrweiler, but also in the surrounding villages such as Mayschoss or Dernau, the masses of water swept barrels, wine bottles and machines with them and thus destroyed entire wine-growing businesses and livelihoods," says the wine institute. Many winegrowers from other growing areas are already on site with forklifts, vineyard tractors or pumps to save what can still be saved, says DWI spokesman Ernst Büscher. External helpers are also on duty for the urgently needed work in the vineyard to secure the current vintage.
With 563 hectares, the Ahr is one of the smallest of the 13 wine-growing regions in Germany. “More than a whole vintage is lost,” fears the Association of German Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), to which seven companies belong on the Ahr. Like the Wine Institute, the VDP also calls for donations for viticulture on the Ahr. The willingness to help among the winemakers is huge, says the President of the German Viticulture Association, Klaus Schneider. Helpers from other areas rushed to the Ahr not only for clean-up work, but also for work in the vineyard that is now necessary and cannot be postponed.
“What sustains us is the great solidarity that we experience,” says winemaker Baltes. “We are not alone, helpers arrive every day who stand in the mud and lend a hand.” After the first shock, she is about to recover. “We're trying not to let ourselves get down. Burying your head in the sand is not an alternative. "
(Dpa)
