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The Nahe

German Wine Guide:

Introduction
Laws & Classifications
Prädikat & AP Number
German Wine Dictionary
The Saar
The Ruwer
The Middle Mosel Part 1
The Middle Mosel Part 2
The Nahe
The Rheingau
Rheinhessen
The Pfalz

It is not too difficult to orientate ourselves where the Mosel and her tributaries are concerned. Set off from the Vosges mountains at the origin of the Mosel, sailing into Germany where you will be joined first by the Saar, and then once you are past Trier by her second vinously important tributary, the Ruwer. The region has been referred to for many years as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, although from 2007 this is officially shortened to just Mosel, but the original name serves as an aide-mémoire as to the order in which the tributaries join (although the Mosel vineyards of interest are much further downstream from the union with the Saar and Ruwer). But what of the Nahe, and the other regions associated with the majestic Rhine river? Where do they fit in?

When your journey reaches the end of the Mosel, where it drains into the Rhine at Koblenz, turn upstream and you will find yourself passing yet more vineyards. This is the Mittelrhein, which does not hold a strong hand when it comes to world class vineyards. Continue on, though, and we come to the next of the Rhine's great regions; the Nahe.

Nahe Wine Map

The Nahe arises in Saarland, and runs very roughly parallel with the Saar until it turns away to the east, finally curving around to the north, as it does so passing Bad Kreuznach, the wine capital of the region, before draining into the Rhine. Scattered throughout the region there are vineyards, and here and there you will find sites that are truly great; the greatest concentration of these is around the aforementioned Bad Kreuznach, which sits on the river just as it turns north towards the Rhine, and the towns that line up along the river in anticipation of it, principally Bad Münster, Norheim and Niederhausen. Stylistically the wines are somewhere between those of the Mosel, which lies to the northwest, and the rest of the Rhine vineyards, which are further upstream along the Rhine, to the east and southeast. They are predominantly sweet in character, perhaps resembling (a little at least) those from the Mosel, although the best are marked by an opulent, rich, spicy character which should bring lovers of German Riesling flocking to the region. They have a finely delineated acidity to support this richness, but not in the same vein as that found in the Saar or Ruwer, and a fuller structure, a greater presence in the mouth, than the filigree style that typifies the Mosel. There are some producers chasing a drier, more modern style, nevertheless it is the former incarnation of the Nahe that provides the most thrilling experience, and there are some producers here that would quite rightly take a place in any account of Germany's best.

There are a variety of soils along the Nahe, a contrast with the seemingly continuous walls of slate that are found either side of the Mosel. Perhaps the most striking feature of the topography is the Rotenfels cliff, a wall of red Permian rhyolite which is reputed to be Europe's highest cliff north of the Alps. At the base of the cliff is a tumbling slope of rubble and scree that has originated from the cliff, and here the vines of the Traiser Bastei vineyard scrabble for a foothold in their own personal suntrap. Elsewhere, there are soils of sandy loam resembling those to be found to the east in Rheinhessen, particularly around the lower stretches of the river, whereas upstream there is the more familiar slate. Riesling predominates, but there are a small band of hardy souls doing worthwhile things with Burgundian varieties, and with the lesser German grapes such as Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau.

Top Winedoctor Estates

Dönnhoff
Crusius
Schlossgut Diel
Emrich-Schönleber

The Top Vineyards of the Nahe

The vineyards of the upper Nahe, far above the small region encapsulated by my map, do include some sites and estates worthy of mention. Around Meddersheim are Hexamer and Bamberger, two up and coming estates, and around Monzingen are the Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg vineyards. The latter two are exploited by the Emrich-Schönleber estate. There are few other sites here of interest, and we can travel on to the central belt, where the greatest vineyards are to be found.

As we head towards Bad Kreuznach, the first villages of note we encounter are Schlossböckelheim, Oberhausen and Niederhausen. The first lies on the left bank, and has a number of excellent sites, including the Kupfergrube (which until recently was still in use as a copper mine, from where the name originates), which has soils of stony clay, slate, sandstone and porphyry (a red-purple-brown igneous rock) and is known for firm and yet swift-footed wines, Felsenberg, which lies on the steep slopes that border the river and which has a reputation that exceeds that of Königsberg and In Den Felsen. Oberhausen lies on the opposite bank of the river, and is associated with a number of rightly famous vineyards, including Brücke, which is owned exclusively by Dönnhoff and is a very strong component of his portfolio. Across the river and a little further downstream are the Niederhausen vineyards Hermannshöhle and Hermannsberg, both excellent sites with complex soils like those of Kupfergrube which no doubt account for the fabulous vivacity of the wines. Downstream from Hermannshöhle and Hermannsberg are the Klamm and Kertz vineyards, both excellent sites, followed by the Steingert and Rosenheck vineyards, the latter with its soils of Devon slate and reputation for finesse once in the bottle. Finally in Niederhaus, the Felsensteyer vineyard, with soils of volcanic porphyry. Here the wines are said to be aromatic and floral. Dönnhoff is the premier exponent of the Niederhaus sites, but there have also been superb wines from Crusius over the years (although I have sampled few of the recent offerings), and even the once state-owned Niederhausen-Schlossböckelheim domain, once again in private hands, is said to be performing nicely today.

Then onto Norheim, where there is another run of excellent sites, starting with Kafels, then the top two sites here, neighbours Dellchen and Kirschheck. The former has a soil rich in iron and porphyry, yielding very firm, structured wines, the latter has Devon slate beneath a top layer of red sandstone, and is renowned for a more delicate style. But perhaps the best known vineyard here is around the next bend, past Traisen, the aforemention Traiser Bastei, which sits at the base of the Rotenfels. Rothenberg is also very good. There are also great sites around Bad Kreuznach, such as Kahlenberg, Krötenpfuhl and Brückes, although it seems as though the great wine domaines of the past have faded and gone, and so these vineyards are perhaps under-exploited, leaving the likes of Dönnhoff and Crusius to fly the flag for the Nahe, with their vineyards further upstream.

From Bad Münster through Bad Kreuznach the Nahe then flows northwards onto the Rhine. Here there are fewer and fewer vineyards of interest, although there are a few tributaries where good sites exist, some behind Münster, others to the west of the river. But to find our next truly great vineyards, we should move onto the next region, the Rheingau.

Next instalment: The Rheingau