Glasses

A glass helps decide whether an Ahr Spätburgunder tastes of sour cherry or of alcohol — that's down to its particular character. The grape is thin-skinned, the tannin fine rather than edgy, the color naturally pale — none of this calls for large, heavy glasses.

Even so, the wine needs room. A Burgundy glass with a wide, balloon-like bowl narrowing toward the opening lets the delicate fruit aromas rise without losing them. That's exactly what separates a good Ahr Spätburgunder from one that seems flat in the wrong glass. The bowl shouldn't be too large, though: a Bordeaux glass, with its tall, slender shape, robs the light fruit of its tension.

Frühburgunder demands even more restraint. It's paler, more fragrant, and thinner-skinned than its later-ripening relative. That's why a somewhat smaller, more tightly built bowl suits it better than the large Burgundy balloon — otherwise, the little aroma it brings gets lost in the empty space above.

Temperature is often overdone on the Ahr, with wines chilled too much. Sixteen degrees Celsius is right for a young Spätburgunder. Any colder and it tastes merely sour and hard. A Riesling from the same steep site, by contrast, may go down to eight to ten degrees so its acidity doesn't come across as too sharp.

A young Ahr wine rarely needs a decanter. Ten to fifteen minutes in the glass is usually enough for the aroma to open up. An aged Spätburgunder with sediment, however, benefits from half an hour of air. Pour only up to the widest point of the bowl and not a drop higher, or there won't be enough space for the aroma to gather.