German wine is well known. As are German woods and forests: The Odenwald, and the Black Forest (Schwarzwald, in German), to name a couple of famous ones. So, when I found a circuit trail entitled Wein und Wald Runde (roughly translated as Wine and Woods Circuit), I really looked forward to cycling it.
What I Learned
In the German region of Wuerttemberg, a lot of wine is produced. Much of it grows on steep hillsides facing the Neckar River, but some of it is produced in the valleys of its main tributaries. Wuerttemberg is a hilly state, with well-drained, sun-facing slopes in many districts. The vines and orchards compete to cover slopes in Wuerttemberg’s wine district of the Untere Neckartal (also known apparently as Wuerttembergisches Unterland), near Heilbronn, in southern Germany.
Continue reading Wine Notes: Wuerttemberg’s Untere Neckartal
Trail Name: Wein & Wald Runde (Wine and Woods Circuit) (AKA: SB3)
Trail Type: Mid-distance cycling itinerary circuit; well-maintained, with much of it paved, and well-marked, along most of the itinerary route
Length:
Total – 28 kilometers/17.4 miles
Convenient to: Heilbronn, Germany
Marking: SB3 and trail name letters in white on a colorful square metal sign
Weinfelden means wine fields in German, and in Switzerland, the Canton of Thurgau, there is a small town with this name. Not surprisingly, vineyards surround it, and the town’s hiking wine itinerary passes through them.
A promising start to any wine trail itinerary, surely. Additionally, this particular trail promised a wine education path, and diverse opportunities to sample wine along the way. So, making my way to the trailhead in the center of Weinfelden, set on the banks of the Thur River, I was intent on hiking the trail as well as learning about and tasting the local wines.
What I Learned
The canton of Thurgau, in north central Switzerland, is a wine producing canton. For wine purposes, this canton has several different districts: The Upper Thur Valley, the Lower Thur Valley, Rhine, Lauchetal, Seebachtal, and Untersee. Its northern most section, the Untersee faces onto Lake Constance and the High Rhine. Much of the rest of the canton wine production lies in the valley of the Thur River, a tributary to the Rhine, from which the canton gets its name.
Trail Name: Weinfelden Weinweg
Trail Type: A short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, good marking on the trail
Length:
Total – 9 kilometers/6 miles
Convenient to: St Gallen, Switzerland; Konstanz, Germany
Marking: Burgundy colored metal arrow, with green grape leaf and trail name letters. See featured photo above.
