Location and Climate
Rech is a local municipality in the district of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the collective municipality of Altenahr. The village is located on the middle reaches of the Ahr, near the narrow valley sections around the Saffenburg and at the beginning of a broader valley floor shaped by vineyards, towards Dernau. Rech lies in the rain shadow of the High Eifel and has a mild, comparatively low-rainfall climate. The municipality belongs to the wine region Ahr.
Vineyards and Soils
The vineyards of Rech are on steep slopes and terraces above the Ahr. The Recher Blume covers 24 hectares of designated area, of which around 13 hectares are planted with vines. Their soils consist mainly of terrace gravel and terrace loam. The Recher Hardtberg covers 28 hectares, of which around 4 hectares are vineyard area, and features weathered slate soils with greywacke and, in places, loess loam. The Recher Herrenberg is a terraced, steep south-facing slope with soils made of volcanic rock, slate and greywacke.
Grape Varieties and Wine Styles
In the Blume, Spätburgunder, Regent, Portugieser and Weißburgunder are documented. The Hardtberg is planted with Spätburgunder and Riesling. For the Herrenberg, classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®, Spätburgunder and Frühburgunder are approved varieties. The Blume stands for full-bodied red wines and delicately fruity white wines; the Hardtberg for fine, lively white wines and fuller-bodied red wines. The Herrenberg is described as producing dry to finely off-dry wines, powerful Spätburgunder as well as fresh, lively Riesling.
History and Viticulture
Rech was first mentioned in writing around 1140, when an estate called “Reth” was assigned to the nearby Marienthal monastery. In 1482, the village came under the rule of the Saffenburg. The name Herrenberg refers to the lords of Saffenburg, who previously owned Rech and the surrounding vineyards. Traditional terraces are preserved on the Herrenberg; the Hardtberg is cultivated in part using single-post training. The Jean Stodden winery documents, among other things, hand-harvesting, careful selection in the vineyard and in the winery, and mash fermentation for red wines of up to 24 days, followed by ageing in wooden casks.
