Of the many fabulous local wine events in Europe, especially in Alsace and southern Germany, the rambles through vineyards where vintners set up stations with food and wine are among the most popular. The routes, usually around 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) long, are marked out along existing hiking trails, access roads for agricultural vehicles, and streets through towns and villages. Whole families are out there, and with the great air of festivity, and plenty of stops to relax and replenish fluids, the route is easily done by all.
I recently had the good fortune to participate in an event which circled the town of Beilstein, in the Wuerttembergisch Unterland wine growing region, north of Stuttgart, Germany. The timing for this event was convenient, and the weather in central Germany was perfect that day: sunny and seventy.
“A sea of vineyards – above the Loire River, under rain-laden clouds”
This is how I will always visualize this hike.
Maybe because we were in “la Douce France” (gentle, soft, sweet France), the rain fell only softly, and then not for long, to the chagrin of the vintners, but to our delight because sections of the trail would have turned muddy with heavier rains, or a higher river. As it was, the cloud cover served nicely to protect us from what otherwise would have been a hot day in the sun.
What I Learned:
Wine production has been documented along this section of the Loire (between Saumur and Anjou) for at least 1500 years. When the Plantagenet rulers of the area gained the throne of England in 1154, it sparked an international demand for this local wine, and its popularity continued until the French Revolution. It is a rich tradition that also makes full use of the natural and man-made caves in this area.
Trail Name: Au Coeur du Vignoble
Trail Type: Short distance hiking circuit; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved in built up areas, well maintained and marked.
Length: Total: 11 km, (approximately 7 miles)
Convenient to: Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Continue reading Dampierre’s Au Coeur du Vignoble: Trail in a Nutshell
Hills and hidden dales, fields and dark forests, quiet vineyards and orchards, the Ortenau wine region is quite enchanting. Set in the foothills of the Rhine-side of the Black Forest in the state of Baden, it has a long history of wine making. When I recently came across a wine-themed bicycling circuit, the Weinsagen (Wine Myths), I had to try it.
What I Learned:
Within the Baden wine region, there are several distinct wine districts. One of these is the Ortenau, ranging on the east side of the Rhine, between roughly the famous spa town of Baden-Baden and the town of Offenburg to the south. Between these two towns, on an undulating landscape, lies bucolic countryside, punctuated by picturesque wine villages. The rolling hills, which protect the generally south and west-facing vine-covered slopes from too much wind, and the relatively mild and sunny climate, make this one of the best areas for growing grapes in Germany.
Trail Name: Weinsagen Tour
Trail type: A medium-distance cycling circuit; mostly paved, some hard packed earth, well maintained and marked, albeit with only standard bike route indicators in some places.
Length: Total: 40.5 km/25 miles
Convenient to:
Baden-Baden, Baden-Wuertemberg, Germany
Strasbourg, Alsace, France
