Germany's flood zone wine gives hope for8k8 casino online future

BAD NEUENAHR-AHRWEILER,Germany－In the Ahr valley, mud-smeared bottles rescued from flooded cellars represent hope for a new beginning after the deadly catastrophe that hit Germany three weeks ago.

"I told myself we couldn't just throw it all away," recalled Linda Kleber, founder of Flutwein, or flood wine initiative.

Kleber came up with the idea as she was retrieving bottle after bottle from the store of her flood-ravaged restaurant.

The vintages that could be saved are now being offered for delivery in the condition they were found: covered in silt, a singular reminder of the devastation the floods wreaked.

The money raised, more than 2 million euros ($2.37 million) to date, is "a source of hope for all the winegrowers and also for the hospitality sector", said Peter Kriechel, a wine producer and president of the local professional growers' association.

In his cellar, about 200,000 bottles of wine were submerged on the night of floods.

"I think we're at the start of a long marathon," he said. "An initiative like Flutwein could give us a kick-start."

The Ahr valley is known for the pinot noir that grows on its steep slopes, and the local economy relies significantly on viniculture and the tourism it generates.

"Without wine, the Ahr valley wouldn't exist－to say nothing of its gastronomy," said Joerg Kleber, husband of Linda.

Last month's disaster claimed the lives of 225 people across Europe, including 187 in Germany, and destroyed 5 to 10 percent of the wines in Ahr.

But the damage to machines and cellars has been much greater, with many holdings severely impacted or almost entirely destroyed.

Great losses

Paul Schumacher is one of those whose losses were great.

"It wasn't just a flood but a tsunami," said the wine producer.

Just before the waters arrived at his door, Schumacher went down to make sure his barrels of wine were well sealed. He and his wife then took shelter upstairs, but "the water very quickly rose a meter above the first floor," he said, still visibly affected by what happened. In the end, the couple ended up spending part of the night on the roof.

A tenth of his 5 hectares of land was devastated. The ground floor of his house, where he also has a restaurant, is still completely coated in mud.

However, the veteran grower still hopes to harvest his grapes and produce this year's vintage. The production of wine in the Ahrweiler region remains very uncertain, but neighboring producers have offered to step in to help bring in this year's crop.

Nonetheless, locals think the valley will never be the same again. "Many will leave and won't rebuild their homes," Schumacher said.

Agencies via Xinhua