The story of the flood in the Ahr Valley is, in addition to the destruction and human tragedies, one of the enormous commitment: Thousands of volunteers were on duty, millions of euros in donations were received.

The symbol of this is the “flood wine”: the mud-smeared wine bottles from the cellars of the affected businesses.

Julian Staib

Political correspondent for Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, based in Wiesbaden.

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Most of the cellars are now empty;

Around 175,000 "Flutwein" bottles were sent via a crowdfunding platform in return for donations.

Around 4.5 million euros were raised in this way.

Many companies helped, for example with logistics.

To this end, winemakers from other regions launched “solidarity wines”, which brought in another 1.5 million euros.

There were also around one million euros in donations.

The “Flutwein” initiative raised around seven million euros in total.

Support of injured entrepreneurs "excluded"

This was actually supposed to support the reconstruction. But the money is still in an account. “We don't get it to the companies concerned,” says Peter Kriechel, one of the initiators of the “Flutwein” campaign, who runs the Peter Kriechel winery in a suburb of Ahrweiler together with his brothers.

Donations are not allowed to companies if the purpose is not for the public benefit. According to the disaster decree of the state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, support services in favor of damaged entrepreneurs are "excluded as they do not affect private, but operational damage". According to this, injured persons can receive "emergency aid" of up to 5000 euros. This has already happened in the case of some winemakers. However, the problem then arises of how the money gets into the companies. In addition, the sum is nowhere near enough.

According to Kriechel, the damage suffered by the winegrowers to houses, equipment and vineyards amounts to a “minimum of 300 million euros”. It is true that companies also receive support payments from the state, 80 percent of the costs for reconstruction are planned. However, in the case of machines, for example, this only applies to the current value. Kriechel calculates: A press machine costs 100,000 euros, but often only had a current value of around 40,000 euros - of which a maximum of 80 percent would then be paid out. But mostly a new acquisition is necessary, since there is no second-hand market for such devices. According to Kriechels, no operations have been closed so far. “Everyone wants to continue. But when the first bills arrive, we'll see how many can really do that. "

It is also unclear whether the “flood wines” are legally to be classified as purchases, as the tax authorities currently see - or whether they are to be viewed as a “minor thank you” for a donation, as the makers of the initiative are doing.

So the money may still have to be taxed.

"The situation is unsatisfactory," says Daniel Koller, who founded the initiative together with Kriechel.

So far it has not been possible to issue donation receipts.

According to Kriechel, the “worst case” would be to pay out the individual winemakers according to the “flood wine” bottles delivered.

Then the tax payment would reduce the amount significantly.

In addition, the hardest hit companies, whose wine stocks had been completely destroyed, would then go away empty-handed.

The initiators of “Flutwein” are advised on the donation issue by Martin Georgi, the chairman of the German Fundraising Association.

Georgi calls for a revision of the donation law.

After all, the charitable status has evolved.

Further disasters loomed due to climate change.

In order for there to be such a commitment as in the Ahr Valley, it is necessary that politicians create flexible solutions when dealing with donations, said Georgi.

The makers of "Flutwein" are now in talks with the state government on the subject.

The opposition CDU reacted on Tuesday.

Its parliamentary group chairman Christian Baldauf demands that the state government must "immediately initiate a simple exception regulation" so that the collected donations can be paid out to the affected wineries.