Bonn, the Rhine, the Ahr & the Vines

Visitors to Germany know Bonn as the birthplace of Beethoven with the annual Beethoven festival held in his honor in the fall. The University brings students from around the world to study. The region surrounding Bonn also attracts wine lovers. The area around the city offers wine lovers a choice: white wine is cultivated in the Siebengebirge, and red wine has a long tradition in the Ahr valley.

It should come as no surprise that wine growing has had a long tradition in the areas near Bonn. The Romans are said to have brought grape vines to the Rhine. At the Rheinaue Park there are still vines tracing their heritage back to these plants.

Across the river from the city you'll find the mountainous area known as the Siebengebirge. This section of Germany belongs to the wine region Middlerhein. There are about 20 hectares of vineyards growing here with melodious names like Rosenhügel (rose hill), Goldfüßchen (golden little foot) and Drachenfels (dragon's rock).

In the wine-growing villages of Niederdollendorf, Oberdollendorf, Königswinter and Rhöndorf visitors will find mainly Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Kerner. In the Ahr valley on the other side of the Rhine one will find primarily red wine, such as the mild and fruity Portugieser or the velvety and heady Spätburgunder.

The river Ahr dug deeply into the mountains on its way to the Rhine, so that the grapes on the 520 hectares of vineyards located in this protected valley grow in an almost Mediterranean climate. On the rocky hillsides, dedicated wine growers produce wines which are recognized as being among the best wines in Germany.

For more than three decades the 35 kilometer long Rotweinwanderweg (red wine hiking trail) from Altenahr to Bad Bodendorf through the steep vineyard terraces, has been a very popular hiking trail. Comfortable wine taverns, vintner’s cottages and the cellars of the wine growers’ cooperatives in the Ahr valley as well as in the Siebengebirge are always open for guests. There are numerous wine festivals taking place in the individual villages from the end of August until the end of autumn. These Winzerfest provide wine lovers with a wonderful opportunity to improve their knowledge of the regional wines from the Rhine and the Ahr.

In addition, Bonn offers something quite special: it is the so-called Beethoven wine. This wine is more than just an advertising product, as it comes from a winery at the river Moselle called Köwerich, the family Beethoven's mother came from.

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For more information or offers for the wines from the Siebengebirge please contact the Tourismus Siebengebirge GmbH, www.siebengebirge.com.