Now encircled by stout walls, in the distant past the lands of Turckheim once faced a threat from a fierce foe – a dragon. Ultimately vanquished, the dragon’s blood spilled on the side of a hill, where its warmth and power rendered that soil very fruitful. Thus, both the town and its legend nowadays serve its tourism as well as its wine industry.
Turckheim is a compact town, running along the bank of a small river. Its walls back against the very hillside that has brought it fame in the wine world: The Brand. Rugged, covered in vines and topped by pines, it is very picturesque; as is the old town center, with its walls, gate towers and half-timbered houses. Fortunately, a hike dedicated to the town’s wines from its most famous cru, is available as well.
What I Learned
Alsace’s Haut-Rhin (upper Rhine) area is particularly favored with great terroirs. Here, as elsewhere in Alsace, the harvests are primarily white varietals. The soil here is minerally, and complex, resulting in crisp, refreshing and uniquely flavored white wines. The six main white varietals grown in Alsace are Riesling, Silvaner, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. The only red varietal is Pinot Noir.
Trail Name: Turckheim et Le Brand
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; almost exclusively paved or hard packed surface, well maintained, but the route itself is not specifically marked for this trail.
Length: Total: @5 kilometers/ 3 miles
Convenient to: Colmar, France
Marking:
Turckheim to Niedermorschwihr: Blue X
Niedermorschwihr to Turckheim: Yellow triangle
The “Sommer” in Sommerhausen means summer in German, but there were no signs of it the day I was there. Dark, windy and spitting rain, as is normal in the winter here, it was a good day to follow the Weinsbergweg, the town’s trail devoted to its wines, along the slopes lining the Main River, about 8 miles south of Wuerzburg.
What I Learned
Franconia (Franken, in German) is one of Germany’s 13 wine regions. Within this region there are three districts. Two of the three follow along the Main, a peaceful, beautifully winding river that ultimately flows into the Rhine by Frankfurt. Three consecutive bends form a huge triangle of land, and the wine district along the river in this area is known as the Maindreieck (Main Triangle).
Trail Name: Weinsbergweg (incorporating the shorter educational Wein-Kulturweg) Sommerhausen
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, (or with very hard-packed earthen surfaces), and with excellent marking throughout the trail.
Length: Total – 6 kilometers/ 3.75 miles
Convenient to: Wuerzburg
Marking: Snail, and White grapes on a green background, or on tarmac (see trail photo below)
