European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 05, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Hot summer seeing by Craig r. Whitney the new York times Erner naekel is one of the few people in Germany who woke up every morning this summer hoping that the record breaking Sun drenched heat wave that began at the end of june would t break. Naekel is a winemaker in the Rhine land and in a Gray Cool climate that often seems to skip Over summer altogether this year s Blue skies and almost Mediterranean warmth hold the Promise of a Vintage of the Century barring weather disasters for which there is still plenty of time. There can still be a wet fall and too much rain at picking time in september naekel warned. He will need All the Luck he can get to realize his dream to produce a German red wine As Rich and robust As Burgundy Why not naekel said one recent August Day after a morning spent sweating on the Steep slopes of his vineyards in the Ahr River Valley of Western Germany thinning out his pinot noir grapes. Pinot noir is the variety that put the Burgundy towns of units Saint Georges and Vosney roman a on the map. In Wernau a Small tourist Village of half timbered houses with the vines rising in neatly manicured rows from both Banks of the winding Ahr the locals Call it. Spa Burgunder or late ripening Burgundy. No matter what the germans Call their wine it seems unlikely that Wernau will Ever be mentioned in the same breath with those exalted French towns. But in the endless Sunshine of the summer of 1994, the goal of producing a memorable German red wine seems at least attainable. We grow the same grape varieties and we Nave More or less the same Dimate As in Burgundy naekel said after calling it quits at 10 . And retreating from the blazing heat into the coolness of his cellars. If we do our jobs right we ought to be Able to make wines that Bear comparison with  red wine has been an orphan child in Germany for years he said. Most growers produced White wine and what red wine they made tended to be Thi n and Sweet not up to International standards at  but this is now changing and today 1,500 growers Are tic tie summer has been Good for German vintners. This year s grape Harvest for Early wines began a couple of weeks ahead of the Normal schedule. Producing red wine in Germany he said. To germans who have travelled to France Italy or Spain German red wine is rather thin blooded stuff. Today Many look to German growers to produce dry robust wines to go with fish and game and disdain the Sweet. White table wine of the Liebra Milch ilk that they used to enjoy. The secret of producing better wine said count Michael Detmann a colleague of Nakeef s in the Wurttemberge Region is being More selective about culling. The Ahr Valley is perhaps Germany s Best known red wine Region though traditionally much Ahr wine has been thin Sweet and coloured More Pink than red. Small amounts of red wine Are also produced in the Rhine Gau in the palatinate Region near the French Border and in both Baden and Wor Temberg in Southern Germany even in Franconia in Northern Bavaria. By far most German wine from there and elsewhere is White and in the Rhine and Moselle regions most of it is made from the distinctive riesling grape. For Many German wines both red and White 1993 was a Superb Vintage despite the fact that july and August were Cool and not nearly As sunny As this summer has been so far but they followed an Early warm Spring. Adelmann was pleased with the hot summer but he is not As optimistic about this year As naekel is. One of this summer s severe thunderstorms bombarded his vineyards with Hail on the last weekend of july and that will probably reduce his Harvest by More than 25 percent he said. Between thunderstorms Hail drought insects Early Frost and Rains at Harvest time naekel was asked Why does any German winemaker even try to beat the Odds -. It is an interesting life he said laughing. But i would t Trade it for anything in the  he started out As a High school mathematics teacher in Koblenz but joined his father in the family win making business in the mid 1980s. There s hardly any profession left where an individual can produce a product by his own efforts he said. But i can look at a bottle of wine and think i have made this with my own hands. A vintner does practically everything from choosing the shape of the bottle to designing the Label to bottling the  Short subject no cars allowed in new housing areas Byrolly Ghazi London observer Kathy and John Are All set to buy their dream Homo on a hew housing estate. They can just about afford the mortgage but there is one major Snag the local authority is demanding that they sign a Legal contract notto own a car. An environmentalist s fantasy and outrageous infringements civil liberties or the inevitable shape of things to come injury Bremen Germany became the first City in the world to Experiment with a car free residential area. The City Council which built to hts housing estate has persuaded 250 families to forgo private cars although a shared Pool of 30 vehicles will be provided for emergencies. The $1.8 million saved by not using land for parking spaces has meant lower rents and More Garden space for residents. Other major cities including Amsterdam and Berlin Are now planning car free housing developments for up to 2,000 people. Car Access to town centers has been drastically curbed in Many parts of Europe to Cut congestion and air pollution and to improve conditions for shoppers and workers. The traffic is being driven out by a mixture of pedestrian Patlon and hefty parking charges. Despite their muck publicized love of flashy cars italians have banned them during daytime from the streets of several historic City centers. Drivers entering Oslo Norway pay a heavy toll. The Park and ride system in Oxford England has greatly reduced the jams that blighted its historic City Center. Amsterdam is soon to ban virtually All daytime traffic from its Central streets in Britain which lags Well behind most wealthy european nations in restricting car use the arguments most commonly employed against town Center car bans Are that businesses would suffer civil liberties would be infringed and women could be placed More at risk if forced to use Public transport at night t when pedestrianisation programs were introduced in America and Europe in the 1970s, there were dire warnings from retailers and car manufacturers that the commercial hearts of great cities would collapse. A similar outcry has accompanied the traffic curbs of the late 80s and 90s. Yet All the evidence shows that the opposite has happened. A five year old British study of traffic curbs in eight european countries revealed that not Only did town Center shops experience a Boom but also Accident and air pollution Levels were Cut dramatically and emergency vehicles were Able to move around much More quickly. Scripps Howard new service a car free zone in Amsterdam. Monday september 5,1994 the stars and stripes 15