I was in Hamminkeln this afternoon. Ever heard of this metropolis on the lower Rhine near the Dutch border? A whopping 3.247 inhabitants! One family here, though, has made a name for itself with juice: van Nahmen. This is not watered down apple concentrate from Aldi for €0.69 a bottle imported from who knows where, but individual fruits grown in old orchards in nearby regions. Not only do they bear a vintage and the name of the individual variety, but are generally organically grown, manually harvested and brought in under later harvest conditions. There are even plans to do single orchard bottles from the most interesting old specimens. We tasted about a dozen apple varieties and an equal number of other fruits. Two of my favourites are pictured below, the Rote Sternrenette and a special quince that the Germans call Apfelquitte. Fascinating. Even three star restaurants are beginning to take note and offering some of these juices to guests who drink no alcohol. That was the other positive effect. In the end there were 24 to 30 bottles on the table. I drank many of the samples, needed no spitoon and was able to drive back to my office without worrying about being stopped. Comments