Tag Archives: Steigerwald

Communing with Vines

 

This hike can be defined as slow hiking. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, slow hiking is the act of going on a long walk through countryside, without the pressure of going fast, or climbing hills, or making a distance. It is meant to be an activity accessible to all fitness levels, that predisposes participants for actually enjoying nature. Thus, it sets up a framework for communing with nature.

The Steigerwald area I hiked is ideal for slow tourism, defined as far from mass tourism sites, with a focus on local culture, history and traditions. It is characterized by low (and slow) mobility, emphasizing sustainability. The Steigerwald wine district is surely Franconia’s least known district. Iphofen (see here), and Bad Windsheim (see here), are the two biggest towns – delightful, but small. Agricultural pursuits, mostly devoted to vines and grains, cover much of the rest of the area. Thus, I could slow hike in a slow tourism area, and take time to reflect on vines and communities supporting them.

Small Section of the Steigerwald Nature Park

Mainly though, this area is known for the Steigerwald Nature Park, which covers about 431 square miles, in the Franconian/Bavarian border area west of Nuremberg. The hills are heavily forested and popular with some hikers for their unspoiled nature. My hike though, on the southwest corner of the park, lay right at the junction of the trees and vines. Not only could I enjoy both vineyards and forest, I could do so in peace and quiet.

And then There Were None: Clear Vine/Tree Delineation

I began just below the Weinparadiesscheune, a popular wine-bar with local wine (and food) on offer. Early morning patrons, on that warm, sunny late August day, began to fill up the outdoor seats. This part of the hike remained on asphalt as it went up the western side of the hill, along the upper reaches of vines facing the villages of Bullenheim, Seinsheim and Huettenheim.

Weinparadiesscheune – Set Between Forest and Vineyard

Vintners from these small villages work the vines on the short, but steep, slopes, producing Silvaner, Mueller-Thurgau and Bacchus wine, named after the Greco-Roman god of wine. The Bacchus varietal is relatively new, but it has taken hold in this region (one of the few places it may be found). Like the god, Bacchus wine is popular, and inspires (when taken in moderation, of course!)

The Tannenberg

After a steep climb off the asphalt and into the woods, I was onto the Tannenberg (Pine Mountain), nowadays mostly devoid of trees and covered in vines instead. On the north side of this hill overlooking Huettenheim, there is a Jewish cemetery. In a quiet spot, well suited for contemplation, reminiscent of two similar cemeteries in remote areas of Baden I’d seen, recalling that once vibrant Jewish communities coexisted within even remote villages.

Jewish Cemetery Above Huettenheim

After that, the trail ran south along a shallow valley separating it from the main Steigerwald park. Once leaving the Tannenberg hill, the trail entered woodlands again. As the modest incline increased so did the heat, but fortunately now, the meandering trail was shaded by majestic trees.

Vineyards Along the Steigerwald

It was in this same forest, according to legend, that Empress Kunigunde, lost her way. She made an oath to God that she would found a church there, if she could find her way out of the woods. Sure enough, right off the trail lay the ruins of Kunigunde’s church. (The only problematic issue being the fact that the ruins date to about 400 years after her death in 1033.) Nonetheless, they provide a nice opportunity to relax, soak up the atmosphere of an earlier era, and enjoy the birdsong.

Ruins of Kunigunde’s Church

After my contemplations on a Greco-Roman god, a Catholic church, and a former Jewish community, I realized that like the Greco-Roman communities of old, and the Jewish and Catholic communities, all  shared an appreciation of wine that transcended their differences. Such is often the way with wine aficionados as well. Completing the circuit, I made my way back to the Weinparadiesscheune, to enjoy a glass or two of the local wine, made right here, in full communion with nature and fellow wine-lovers, as has been done for centuries.

 

Wine Notes: Seinsheim Bullenheim

 

What I Learned

Of the Franconia (Franken) wine region’s districts, the Steigerwald district is undoubtedly less well-known than the other two (the Maindreieck around Wuerzburg, and the Mainviereck), and consequently, one of the least visited. The Steigerwald is a tranquil area, focused largely on agriculture. One major attraction is the relatively large Steigerwald Nature park, with wide swathes of tree-covered hills. But on the edges of those hills are vineyards. The vineyard area is known as Frankenberger Schlossstueck, with three vineyards – the Hohenbuehl, the Tannenberg, and the Paradies, belonging to the villages of Seinsheim, Huettenheim and Bullenheim respectively.

Mueller-Thurgau, Silvaner and Bacchus are the three most common grape varieties planted here. The Bacchus varietal was created by crossing a Riesling with a Silvaner, then with a Mueller-Thurgau. The three parent varietals all do relatively well in cooler climate, which is why these, along with Bacchus, are the most planted varietals in this district. These grapes tend to produce light, fruity, white wines, a delight to drink chilled. Normally neither as acidic, nor as aromatic as Riesling, both the Silvaner and Bacchus wines are less-intense alternatives to Riesling, and are found almost only in Franconia.

 

What I Tasted

2017 Mueller-Thurgau, Kabinett, Trocken, Paradies Wein: A dry white wine with medium minus gold color; nose of green apple and gooseberry, with vanilla, green apple, and slight stone fruit flavors; medium plus acidity, with a tart lengthy finish.

2017 Bacchus, Kabinett, Halbtrocken, Winzerhof Klaus Markert (Weigenheim): A semi-dry white wine, with medium gold color; apricot, white peach and vanilla aromas and flavors; medium acidity.

2016 Bacchus, Bullenheimer Paradies, Kabinett, Halbtrocken, Weinbau Erich Schwemmer (Seinsheim): A semi-dry white wine, with medium minus gold color; neutral nose, with apricot, white peach and vanilla flavors; medium minus acidity.

 

Traumrunde Huettenheim-Seinsheim: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Traumrunde Huettenheim-Seinsheim

Trail Type:

Short-distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard-packed, marking on the trail fairly good

Length:

Total – 8.7 kilometers/ 5.4 miles

Convenient to:

Ippesheim, Franconia, Germany

Marking:

Square with white background, and red lettering reading “Traumrunde Huettenheim-Seinsheim”

Sign: TraumRunde Huettenheim-Seinsheim

 

Trail Description:

A meandering circuit, with moderate ascents and descents, as it circles the irregular upper contours of a vine-planted hill on the southwestern edge of the large Steigerwald Nature Park

Trailhead:

Can be anywhere on a circuit, but from a parking perspective, the parking area just below the Weinparadies Scheune is a convenient place to start.

Parking:

Bullenheim: Follow the signs to the Weinparadiesscheune, and before arriving, you will see a small area for hikers’ parking

Public Transportation Options:

Bus: Available to surrounding villages (Bullenheim, Seinsheim, Huettenheim), but not practical

Suggested Stages: (Not applicable)

Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Clockwise)

Huettenheim: Jewish Cemetery, Vineyards, two little ponds, forest; Kapellberg overlook, Kunigundenkapelle, scenic overlook, parking lot, Weinparadiesscheune Seinsheim; Steinbruch am Kunigundenwald, picnic area, Tannenberg Kreuz, Wanderhuette am Juedischen Friedhof

Representative Trail Photos:

Representative Trail Section in Forest Areas
Trail Surface: Unpaved

Restrooms:

(Only observed at the WeinparadiesScheune)

Attractions on or near Trail:

Some wine education tables located intermittently along the trail.

Tasting along the Trail:

Weinparadiesscheune Seinsheim, directly on the trail

Small wineries and taverns in Bullenheim, Seinsheim and Huettenheim, all slightly off the trail

Alternative Options:

Hiking: TCW 49: Durch Fraenkische Weinparadies: a 12.9 kilometer circuit, through much of the same area, but, more challenging ascents and descents, and about 2 miles longer. See https://www.outdooractive.com/de/route/wanderung/steigerwald/tcw-49-durchs-fraenkische-weinparadies/227470702/

Additional Information:

Regional: https://www.ippesheim.de/

Trail specific: https://www.outdooractive.com/de/route/wanderung/fraenkisches-weinland/traumrunde-huettenheim-seinsheim/9552201/#dm=1

Comments:

Few parking lots, per se, just parking on the edges of lanes. So please be conscientious and respectful when parking road-side in the villages or vineyards.

 

Steigerwald’s Stellar Vineyards and Villages

 

The Steigerwald, in Franconia, is a wonderful area. Unlike the other wine districts in the region, the Steigerwald is away from the Main River, and does experience a bit more variance in the weather. One March, hiking the Steigerwald on the first weekend of March, I failed miserably due to snow and ice. (See that story here.) Another March, a year and three weeks’ time difference, sunny skies and dry trails resulted in one of the most memorable hikes I ever completed in Germany.

I began in Castell, a delightful village with a good reputation for its wines. It is nestled at the base of low, vine-covered hills. This iconic village comes complete with a castle in its park, narrow streets and lanes filled with historic houses, and a church. But it was not alone – all the villages on the trail of this hike were just as charming.

Castell: Castle and Church

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Wines Notes: Franconian Steigerwald

 

What I Learned:

Kronsberg, Julius Echter Berg, and the Kuchenmeister are three well-known vineyards in the Iphofen-Roedelsee area, the most famous perhaps being the Julius Echter Berg, named after a 16th Century Wuerzburg Prince-Bishop. (He served as the ruler of a large area within the Holy Roman Empire in Franconia, which he managed rather well.) It was during his lifetime that the Silvaner vines entered Franconia (the first documented record of it locally being in the Castell archives), and some of its best expressions come from the mineral-rich Gipskeuper soils (components shale, gypsum, anhydrite and rock salt) unique to the area around the Schwanberg, around which the three vineyards lay. This geological component, along with the influence of a continental weather pattern, can result in outstanding white wines some years.

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Steigerwald Weinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Steigerwald Weinwanderweg

Trail Type: Long distance; almost exclusively paved or at least hard-packed surfaces, well maintained, fairly well marked.

Length: Total: 42.75 kilometers/ miles

Convenient to: Kitzingen, Bavaria, Germany

Marking: Green grapes on a white background, scored through by a wavy red line

Signage: Steigerwald Weinwanderweg

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Cycling the Bocksbeuteltour

 

A Bocksbeutel is such a distinctive type of wine bottle that words fail me when it comes to describe it. So, I turned to the internet and found in Wiki: “a flattened ellipsoid.” (Try to remember that from geometry class.) Better yet, because “a picture is worth a thousand words,” I photographed a bottle.

A Bocksbeutel

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Wine Notes: Franconian Steigerwald

 

What I Learned:

There are three distinct wine districts in the Franconian Wine Region: The Mainviereck, the Maindreieck and the Steigerwald. Vineyards here can face more challenges than elsewhere in the region. While the first two districts follow along the Main River, the Steigerwald wine district does not. This means that the climate-moderating effects of a river do not apply. Additionally, the highest vineyards in the Franconian wine region lie in this district, some at almost 400 meters above sea level. Therefore, the elevation, as well as the distance from the Main River means that spring weather effects can come later, and fall weather effects can come earlier, and have more impact, than elsewhere in this wine region.

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