The recent flooding in Europe has claimed almost 200 lives, with many more injured or missing, and economic hardship adding to the aftereffects, according to NBC News. With many German wine producers facing financial ruin after the recent flooding, an industry effort is being organized to provide aid via the sale of special sets of six authentically muddied wine bottles from wineries who found themselves literally under water. For many winemakers, the flood threatens to be devastating financially. “I estimate that 60% of the winegrowers here don’t have insurance for natural disasters just like me,” winery owner Paul Schumacher told Deutsche Welle (DW). “Wine is the economic engine for everything here. Hotels, restaurants, and craftsmen are all dependent on viticulture. If that doesn’t work anymore things look pretty grim.”
Intended to be on sale through September, efforts are still being made to coordinate shipping and other logistics. Peter Kriechel, owner of the largest winemaker in the affected region and chairman of the Ahr Wine Federation, told DW, “I just got a call from a lab that took samples of the wines. They told us the contents were not damaged in any way and that they were safe to drink. Even though the donation is the real focus, that is still very important to us.”
Sources:
https://www.dw.com/en/german-flood-wine-sold-to-combat-fallout-of-flood-disaster/a-58705841
