![]() ![]() It is an option the Kleber family have not thought about for an instant, even if their restaurant in the centre of Ahrweiler will not open again on the same spot. "Many will leave and won't rebuild their homes," says wine producer Schumacher. Locals nonetheless think the valley will never be the same again. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Thomas Frey Bottles of wine covered in mud after the floods. The aid will be supplemented by a reconstruction project, costing further billions. ![]() READ ALSO: German prosecutors consider manslaughter probe into deadly floodsįacing one of the biggest natural disasters Germany has seen in the last few decades, Angela Merkel's government has already signed off on emergency aid numbering in the hundreds of millions of euros to go to those most in need. The production of wine in the Ahrweiler region remains very uncertain, but neighbouring producers have offered to step in to help bring in this year's crop. The veteran grower still hopes to harvest his grapes and produce this year's vintage, however. The ground floor of his house, where he also had a restaurant, is still completely coated in mud. In the end, the couple ended up spending part of the night on the roof.Ī tenth of his five hectares of land was devastated. He and his wife then took shelter upstairs, but "the water very quickly rose a metre above the first floor," he says, still visibly affected by what happened. Just before the waters arrived at his door, Schumacher went down to make sure his barrels of wine were well sealed. "It wasn't just a flood but a tsunami," says the grower. Paul Schumacher, 63, is one of those whose losses were great. READ ALSO: From water to wine in the Rhineland's beautiful Boppard Producer of wine and president of the local professional growers association Peter Kriechel (back) with winemakers Linda and Joerg Kleber. "Without wine, the Ahr valley wouldn't exist - to say nothing of its gastronomy," says Joerg Kleber, husband of Linda.Īll in all, last month's disaster claimed the lives of 225 people across Europe, including 187 in Germany, and destroyed five to 10 percent of the wines in Ahr.īut the damage to machines and cellars has been much greater, with many holdings severely impacted or almost entirely destroyed. In the Ahr valley, known for the pinot noir that grows on its steep slopes, the economy relies significantly on viniculture and the tourism it generates. "An initiative like 'Flutwein' could give us a kickstart." "I think we're at the start of a long marathon," he says. READ ALSO: 'We're full': German waste centres tackle mountain of post-flood debris In his cellar, about 200,000 bottles of wine were submerged on the night of June 14th. ![]()
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