A Harrowing Story of Survival During the German Floods for the Sisters of Weingut Meyer-Nakel

The flooding in Germany has left hundreds dead and caused millions in property damage, including devastation to the wine region of Ahr. For Dorte and Meike Nakel, the sisters behind some of German’s finest Pinot Noir at Weingut Meyer-Nakel, their experience was life and death. In this Wine-Searcher article, it reads more like a Hollywood disaster movie than a traditional ideal of wine country living.

The sisters had gone to their winery, just outside town, to try and save equipment from the flood. Caught out by the rapid rise of the flood waters, they became trapped in the building. They originally tried to escape onto the roof but, when a large gas tank was washed into it, they realized they needed to get out quickly. This could only be achieved by diving into the flood waters, swimming beneath barrels floating in the cellars, and kicking out a window, through which they were washed by the floodwaters. Carried downstream they eventually found refuge in a tree just outside Dernau. There they stayed for seven hours before being rescued the next morning. Their mother believes the tree that became their refuge was one that had been planted by their grandfather.

There is a lot more to the story than just this paragraph, including how other wineries in the region are working to help. Read the whole article here.