Posts last month (here) detailed the first three stages of my hike through the southern-most portions of the Wuerttembergische Weinwanderweg (W4, for short), using only public transportation from Stuttgart. I ended the first half of my intended stages at the small town of Remshalden. This post (and the Nutshell) covers the remaining stages, passing through the wine growing area of Remstal, all the way to the historic city of Esslingen.
What I Learned
Wuerttemberg is a large and diverse wine region. Throughout the region red varietals tend to predominate, especially the Trollinger variety. The part of the trail through greater Stuttgart essentially covered two of Wuerttemberg’s six wine districts. This post includes the Stuttgart and Remstal districts. These are right along the Wuerttembergische Weinwanderweg trail, slightly north and east of Stuttgart, and as far south as Esslingen.
Continue reading Wine Notes: Wuerttemberg’s Remstal-Stuttgart
Trail Name: Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: Long distance; often but not always paved, fairly well maintained, but the route itself is not always marked in critical places.
Length:
(Total: 470 kilometers / 292 miles)
Segments Covered in this Post: circa 27 kilometers / 17.5 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Marking: Red grape bunch on a white background (on a sign, painted on walls or trees, on stickers adhering to posts)
Continue reading Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell
Stuttgart is a huge metropolis, connected by an extensive rail system. Using Stuttgart’s subway/urban rail system trains, the “S-Bahn” in German, I hiked along the southern end of the 470 kilometer-long (292 miles) wine hiking trail known as the Wuerttembergischer Weinwanderweg. The W4, I as refer to it below for expeditious reasons, wends its way through the quiet, green belt surrounding the Stuttgart region, encompassing its vineyards in the Neckar and Rems Valleys.
Stuttgart’s public transportation system is extremely efficient, and unbelievably inexpensive with a tourist pass. To prove the point, over two weekends there I decided to hike the southern-most sections of the W4, using my three-day, all-network passes. Leaving from downtown Stuttgart, I headed to the town of Marbach on the the S-4 line. Famous as the home of the great German author Schiller, Marbach is the site of the northern-most conjunction of Stuttgart’s S-Bahn system and the W4. About 30 minutes later, I was on the trail, passing through the charming old town, high above the Neckar River.
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
