The Nahe River
The Nahe River is a tributary of the Rhine, one of the river systems that all German grapevines rely on for irrigation. The region gets its name from the river, which flows from the Hunsrück Mountains to join the Rhine. It is well known for its slate-dominated soils, which are found here in greater concentrations than anywhere else in Germany.
History
It’s thought that viticulture in the Nahe region began as far back as Roman times, when monks arrived and planted vines. The name was first recorded in 1074. In the early 20th century the area was hard hit by phylloxera, and wine production almost vanished for a time – it had to be rebuilt from scratch.
The Rhine is above all Riesling territory
The Rhine is above all Riesling territory, but here at the Nahe people look to the Muller Thurgau grape when either making Rheinhessen or Pfalz wines. Most is sold as a white wine, although some estates make red wines from Pinot Noir or Portugieser.
Muller Thurgau (also called Rivaner) is a hybrid grape created by Hermann Muller in 1882, and resembles a Riesling crossed with Madeleine Royale. It was first planted in Germany in 1897. It became popular because it can be produced more easily than Riesling, it blooms early and produces large harvests that are less acidic than those from the traditional German white wine.
The region was first mentioned by name in 1074
Nahe is a wine region in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It is situated along the river Nahe and its tributary, the Glan, between the Hunsrück to the south and the Rhenish Slate Mountains to the north.
Nahe was first mentioned as a winegrowing region by name in 1074, but was planted long before then by monks living here. In 1971 Nahe became part of Germany’s new system of appellations, which allows for more detailed assessment of quality based on grape variety, site and vineyard practices.
Grape varieties
There are four grape varieties permitted in the *QbA* Nahe wines: Muller-Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Portugieser. Until recently, Muller-Thurgau was the most widely planted variety in the region, but since then Riesling has overtaken it.