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Romancing the grape in Germany’s red wine paradise

The ruins of the 12th-century Are castle overlook Altenahr and vineyard slopes.claudia capos for the boston globe

ALTENAHR, Germany — Dew-dampened branches tug at our clothing and weathered graywacke and slate rock crumble beneath our feet as we climb a switchback trail leading up a lofty lookout above Altenahr, a romantic wine-growing village cradled in the German heartland south of Bonn. Ten minutes later we reach the black cross (Schwarzes Kreuz) driven deep into the hard-packed earth, and are rewarded with a sweeping vista of the upper Ahr River valley, famed as Germany’s red wine paradise.

Across the narrow valley, the craggy ruins of the 12th-century Are castle dominate a rocky 370-foot promontory that accordions downward toward Altenahr’s historic quarter, where wrought-iron trimmed, half-timbered shops and restaurants hug narrow streets. A citron-and-taupe patchwork of grapevines wallpapers the slope rising precipitously behind sturdy slate-roofed white houses to a tree-lined ridge. The Ahr River bubbles in the sunlight, rippling beneath the town’s geranium-decked pedestrian bridge and past several vine-draped patio restaurants on its eastward journey to join the Rhine near the town of Remagen.

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Centuries ago, the Romans put down roots in the Ahr River valley and began cultivating grapes. The valley’s steep, heat-retaining volcanic slate hillsides, abundant sunshine, and minimal rainfall create a Mediterranean-like climate ideal for producing red wines. Today, with only 1,305 acres under vine, the Ahr ranks 10th among the 13 German wine regions, and is one of only two regions that produces more red wine than white. Among the most popular Ahr red wines are the velvety Spatburgunder (pinot noir), the aromatic Fruhburgunder (pinot madeleine) and the lighter Portugieser, which are sold in local shops and featured in wine tastings at rustic wood-beamed taverns. In a country wedded to white wines, particularly the Riesling, Ahr red wines have emerged as a fashionable niche with loyal devotees.

Throughout the summer and fall, wine villages along the Ahr River host a series of wine and music festivals with alfresco dining, dancing, and entertainment. Nature enthusiasts flock to the valley to hike through lush vineyard terraces and admire dramatic rock formations along the Red Wine Hiking Trail (Rotweinwanderweg), which stretches 20 miles from Altenahr to Bad Bodendorf. The area also attracts cyclists who follow the Ahr-Radtour route and Nordic walkers who wend their way through hushed village streets and along the river promenade. The Red Wine Road (Rotweinstrasse), auto route B 266-267, threads through the heart of the valley, from Altenahr to Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. By car, visitors can easily take in the historical highlights and sample some of the region’s wine and food in a single day.

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Before leaving Altenahr, we stroll along the shops lining Bruckenstrasse to buy a bottle of 2011 Walporzheim Fruhburgunder trocken wine. We also stop at the Winzergenossenschaft, a wine cooperative outlet, to inquire about a wine tasting. “The Ahr is famous for its wine,” say Marion and Gerd Bieger, who live in nearby Unkel and visit the Ahr River valley often. “Over the last 10 or 20 years, Ahr winemakers have begun exporting their wine and now they are winning medals.” One of the couple’s favorites is Ahr blanc de noirs, a white wine made from red grapes that goes well with spargel, a savory white asparagus.

Back on the Red Wine Road, we drive to Mayschoss, where vine-clad slopes form a deep amphitheater around the village and appear too steep for vintners to climb. At the Mayschosser Weinkeller, the Ahr’s oldest wine cooperative, dating to 1868, we explore a museum displaying ancient wine presses, barrels, wagons, bottles, and other memorabilia. Hundreds of wooden casks bearing the carved figures of St. Rochus and St. Nikolaus fill the dank subterranean cellar vault beneath stone archways and a low brick ceiling. Upstairs in the airy modern tasting and sales room, we sample several 2011 and 2012 Ahr pinot noirs, and select a bottle of 2009 Ahr Fruhburgunder.

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The half-timbered shops and restaurants and plazas draw tourists to Ahrweiler. Claudia Capos for the boston globe/Claudia Capos

Our trip along the Red Wine Road continues through Rech and Dernau, where the river valley broadens and lacy rows of grapevines embroider the hillsides. When we reach Ahrweiler, we walk through an arched gateway into the walled Old Town. Marauding French troops burned much of the medieval village in 1689 during the War of the Reunions, but its storybook charm has been carefully re-created over the years. Tourists swarm the plaza in front of St. Laurentius Church, notable for its striking yellow-trimmed Gothic exterior and interior 14th-century floral and religious murals. We meander through the crooked cobbled lanes radiating from the Marktplatz, and stop at gingerbread-trimmed storefronts to browse through bric-a-brac and souvenirs. In late afternoon, we snare an outdoor cafe table at the Bier und Weinstube Marktbrunnen and settle in to sip glasses of Ahr red and white wine and enjoy gourmet sandwiches.

Our drive to Bad Neuenahr, which merged with Ahrweiler in 1969, is short. But the transition from medieval to modern is striking. Bad Neuenahr is renowned as an elegant thermal spa resort town, whose healing waters have been enjoyed by Karl Marx, Johannes Brahms and other notables. Today its glass-and-concrete shops and plazas project a more contemporary, commercialized image than neighboring Ahrweiler. Pleasant tree-lined walkways and pedestrian bridges over the Ahr River lead to city icons, including the posh casino inside the Art Nouveau Kurhaus and the imposing 19th-century Steigenberger Hotel.

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To cap off our daytrip through the Ahr River valley, we stop at the Ahrland wine shop on Kreuzstrasse to muse over a tempting selection of Ahr red wines. Our trophy is a Dagernova 2011 Ahr Domina Halbtrocken, from Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, which we tuck into our suitcase for the flight home.

The Ahr River flows through Altenahr and the red-wine region. Claudia Capos for the boston globe


Claudia Capos can be reached at capocomm@sbcglobal.net.