Dernau is a town between Rech and Walporzheim in the Ahr region of Germany. It is located in the middle portion of the Ahr river valley, where the land begins to widen and become less gorge-like, although the hillsides are still impressively steep. Like most of Ahr's winemaking villages, Dernau's vineyards are planted to Spätburgunder, or Pinot Noir, making balanced, aromatic red wines.
There are two Grosse Lage sites in Dernau – the Pfarrwingert and Hardtberg vineyards. Pfarrwingert, located on the northern banks of the river, has a south-facing aspect that gives grapes all-day access to sunlight. The greywacke soils heat up during the day, and retain their warmth at night, reflecting it back on the grapes and helping with the ripening process. This soil is made up of granular debris with sediments that are fused into a sandstone-shale structure, giving Dernauer Pfarrwingert wines fragrance, subtle fruit and delicate spiciness.
The Hardtberg vineyard lies on the slopes above Pfarrwingert and is also planted to Pinot Noir. It shares similar soil structures as Pfarrwingert, and its southerly aspect means that the vines here also benefit from warm sunshine during the day.
A few producers make wines in the Pfarrwingert vineyard, including one of Ahr's most famous producers, Weingut Meyer-Näkel.
