Little country, big sparkling wines, and a mid-sized bike trail. Luxembourg, tucked between Germany, France, and Belgium, is a small jewel of a place. It has taken the best of French and German wine-making and culinary practices, and incorporated them into its own. This is especially true of its sparkling wine production techniques.
What I Learned:
Little known, as not much is exported, Luxembourg’s wines are readily available and thoroughly enjoyed by residents and visitors in the Grand Duchy. For lovers of dry, white wines, this region provides some delicious, drier alternatives to Alsatian or Rhine white wines.
Trail Name: Velo Vinum
Trail type: Short circuit biking circuit; mostly paved, well maintained, albeit not marked
Length: circa 29 km /18 miles
Convenient to: Luxembourg, Luxembourg
In Stuttgart and seeking to escape city life for a few hours? Looking for somewhere close by, convenient to reach, yet with a real feel of countryside? The Stuttgart Wine Trail (Stuttgarter Weinwanderweg, in German) provides a convenient countryside escape, with wine and food stops, along an easy trail for young and old, residents and visitors alike. Best of all, it is easily accessible via the Stuttgart metro system, being only a few stops from the city’s center!
What I Learned:
The Remstal district is in the Rems River valley, located a few kilometers northeast of Stuttgart’s city center. With slightly over 600 hectares, the grapes here grow in soil that is 90% keuper (consisting of marl and limestone). Trollinger is the predominant varietal followed by Riesling, Kerner (a Trollinger and Riesling cross), Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier), Lemberger, Mueller-Thurgau, Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), Dornfelder, Portugieser, and Silvaner, in that order. The information about this area was provided by the Remstalkellerei, a wine cooperative (and wine shop) that makes and markets wines from this district in large amounts. (This is a popular winery whose products grace the shelves of many German supermarkets, especially in the Stuttgart area.)
Continue reading Wine Notes: Wuerttemberg’s Remstal-Stuttgart
Trail Name: Stuttgarter Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: mid-distance hiking circuit, completely paved, well maintained and very well marked.
Length: total: 11.5 km/7.15 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
