Hotel Eckschanke

BAD NEUENAHR: The "Kurschatten"

by Kathrin_E

The institution of the "Kurschatten" ("spa shadow") is said to be popular among spa guests, especially those of a certain age. Being stuck in a spa town for treatment over four or six weeks can be boring. The fear of every spouse who stayed at home is that the better half will get him- or herself a "Kurschatten" - a friendship or even affair with a person of the opposite sex they meet at the spa. This may become sexual but not necessarily has to.

Observing elderly people at the cafes of a spa town can be fun. Sometimes it's so obvious and cute to see them flirting.

AHRWEILER: Fortification: Niedertor

by Kathrin_E

The medieval fortifications of Ahrweiler, mostly 14th century, are remarkably well preserved. The 8 m high wall ring round the old town centre is still almost complete. Four gate towers serve as entrances and exits to all directions.

The Niedertor ("lower gate") is the town's gate to the East, direction Bad Neuenahr and downstream towards the Rhine valley.

Win's Personal Wine Guide

by RhineRoll

"Overview"

The Ahr is a tiny winegrowing area, and even though the demand is rather regional than international, this is enough to keep prices high. Good thing is that, high quality being the only way to stay profitable with these low outputs, you can be pretty sure that you get handcrafted stuff and no industrial food (like more and more US wines actually develop).

Price Guide (all per 0,75 l bottle):

Tafelwein/Schoppenwein (table wine, simple quality) --- 3,50 to 5 EUR
Qualitätswein Riesling or Grauburgunder (Quality wine) -- 6 to 12 EUR
Qualitätswein Riesling with Predicate (selection wine) -- 7 to 18 EUR

Qualitätswein Red (Portugieser, Domina, Regent) -- 6 to 12 EUR
Qualitätswein Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) -- 7 to 15 EUR
Qualitätswein Spätburgunder with Predicate -- 10 to 30 EUR
Qualitätswein Spätburgunder top appelations -- 15 to 50 EUR

"The Terroir (Appelation) Philosophy"

In German winemaking, the majority of quality wines will come from a single appelation (Lagenwein), whereas cuvees from different appelations/grape varieties are not that widespread (although becoming more and more popular both with vintners and consumers).

Wine in Germany is and will always be a real natural product subject to variation, determined by the very location of the vineyard and the climate of the year. People here want it that way. The US philosophy of making it taste the same every year is strongly rejected -- actually people abhor this, it will never be followed here!!!

The appelation is usually stated on the bottle's label. For instance, a "Mayschosser Mönchberg" is a wine from the village of Mayschoss coming from the Mönchsberg (monk's hill) appelation -- especially for Rieslings an excellent hill!!! You can hike to that vineyard and look at the grapes yourself and how they are treated by the estate owning the yard. Consumer Transparency as it should be.

An exception to this is the general appelation (Großlage) "Klosterberg". The estates are allowed to use this appelation for any grapes from the entire Ahr Valley. Thus, if you buy an "Ahrweiler Klosterberg", this wine cannot be traced to a single appelation in the valley. That doesn't mean it's an inferior wine, although "Klosterbergs" tend to be cheaper in price than the single appelation wines.

"Tastings Red Wine"

Ahrweiler
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Adeneuer Spätburgunder 2003 trocken (dry)
Qualitätswein
http://www.adeneuer.de

-- tasted in 2005 or so. Price around 9 EUR.
Adeneuer is one of the top producers in the valley. The estate owns one of the world's steepest appelations (Walporzheimer Gärkammer). Its simple Pinot Noir qualities are usually considered great buys.

Tasting notes: Very balanced, velvety, fruity, pleasant finish, hidden tannines. It's hard to get better value for money from an Ahr Pinot Noir than this one.

Altenahr/Mayschoß
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The vintner's cooperative Mayschoß/Altenahr consistently comes up with really good wines at reasonable prices. Try their standard dry Pinot Noir "Klassiker" for around 10 EUR per bottle.

"Tastings White Wine"

WHITE WINE

Dernau
=====

Meyer-Naekel, 2003 Riesling trocken (dry)
Qualitätswein, Price 13,50 EUR
http://www.meyer-naekel.de

Meyer-Naekel is perhaps the valley's top estate with international renown.

Tasting Note:
Slightly sparkling, explosive fruits, racy finish -- tastes like an excellent Moselle Wine. Price okay for the quality.

Mayschoss
========
Mayschosser Riesling 2005 halbtrocken (medium dry)
Qualitätswein
Price: 4,90 EUR
http://www.wg-mayschoss.de

nice Riesling with a great peachy smell, residual sugar is noticeable. A pleasant wine, will pair great with seefood

Mayschosser Mönchberg 2005 Auslese
Qualitätswein with Predicate
Price: 7,90 EUR
http://www.wg-mayschoss.de

this is a great, slightly sparkling fruity Riesling. Strong notes of peach, elegant balance between acidity and sweetness. So far the best Riesling I've tasted from the Ahr, could be mistaken for a classic Rheingau Riesling.
Excellent value for money, strong buy!!!