Location in the Ahr Valley
Bad Neuenahr lies in the Ahr Valley in the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, about 10 kilometres from the border with North Rhine-Westphalia. The district takes in the middle stretch of the Ahr and is assigned to the lower wine-growing area of the Ahr.
Climate and landscape
The average annual temperature is 10.2 °C, and the average winter temperature from December to February is 2.6 °C. Every year, an average of about 654 millimetres of precipitation falls, with around 1,450 hours of sunshine.
In the lower Ahr Valley, the valley widens, and the vineyard slopes are usually less steep than in the narrower middle valley. The Neuenahr Sonnenberg above Bad Neuenahr is predominantly oriented to the south, lies at about 100 to 150 metres above sea level and is for the most part classified as a steep-slope vineyard.
Winegrowing on the Neuenahr Sonnenberg
The Neuenahr Sonnenberg is a vineyard site of around 26 hectares. The soils range from weathered greywacke and greywacke slate with clay inclusions to colluvial loam, loess and loess loam.
The site is planted primarily with red grape varieties, in particular Spätburgunder and Frühburgunder. In addition, Riesling, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder, Kerner and Müller-Thurgau are documented. Winegrowing in Bad Neuenahr is associated above all with red wines; the Ahr wine-growing region is also known for Riesling as an important white grape variety.
Development and history
The present-day district of Bad Neuenahr developed from the former settlements of Wadenheim, Hemmessen and Beul. Wadenheim has been documented since 992, Hemmessen since 1106 and Beul since 1374. The health spa of Neuenahr was founded in 1858 after the mineral springs were developed.
