Germany’s ‘Worst Vintage’ Becomes a Wine to Help Flood Victims

Peter Kriechel awoke on the morning of July 15 to find a dozen smashed cars piled up in his garden and the streets of the once picturesque village of Ahrweiler awash in muddy debris. At his family’s nearby winery, which has produced riesling and pinot noir varietals for almost 500 years, hulking wooden barrels were floating in the thousands of gallons of oily sludge that filled the basement.

After days of torrential rain, the Ahr and nearby rivers had turned into thundering floods that ripped through small towns in western Germany, leaving more than 100 dead and destroying houses, bridges, and vineyards. The government estimates the damage will top €5 billion ($6 billion).