Location and landscape
Altenahr is located in the Ahr valley at the north-western edge of the Ahr Hills in the Eifel, between Bonn and Koblenz. Here, the Ahr has cut deep into the Eifel high plateau, creating a narrow, winding valley with steep rock faces. In the middle reaches of the Ahr valley, the rocks reach a height of about 200 metres.
Climate and soils
The area around Altenahr is considered mild and, in steep vineyard slopes, in parts almost greenhouse-like. The Eifel and the High Fens shield the region from rainfall; the annual rainfall figure is given as about 560 millimetres. South-facing rock slopes warm up quickly in sunlight and release the stored warmth gradually at night. The vineyard soils consist mainly of Devonian greywacke and weathered shale; in the area of the Eck near Reimerzhoven, also of loess and loess clay.
Vineyard sites
Altenahr belongs to the designated German quality wine-growing region of the Ahr. The Altenahrer Eck covers around 22 hectares, of which about 9 hectares are planted. The slopes, which face south to south-east, lie at roughly 150 to 260 metres above sea level; around 60 per cent are steep and 40 per cent are hilly. Around 6 hectares of Spätburgunder and 3 hectares of Riesling are mentioned there. The wines are described as off-dry and lively; from greywacke sites they are described as powerful and firmly structured.
The Übigberg is divided into six sub-areas between Altenahr and Pützfeld. The cultivated areas are mostly oriented to the south and lie at about 150 to 240 metres above sea level; around 80 per cent of the slopes are steep and 20 per cent are hilly. The planted area is given as around one hectare, mainly in the areas of Altenahr and Roßberg. About one hectare of Riesling and less than half a hectare of Spätburgunder are mentioned. The wines are regarded as velvety red wines as well as firm, structured white wines.
Historical references
The name Altenahrer Eck is traced back to the medieval castle complex of Ekka, which was dismantled in 1249. In the west, the wine site is bounded by the ruins of Are Castle and, in the east, by the rock formation Ravenley. In 1834, with the opening of the first Prussian road tunnel near Altenahr, the first road through the Ahr valley from Ahrweiler to Altenahr was completed. The former Altenahr winegrowers’ cooperative merged in 1982 with the cooperative in Mayschoß.
