Tag Archives: Tauber River valley

Cold Winter Wandering

 

From one end of Baden to the other, there is a world of difference in weather and wines. From a relatively warm day, to a bone-chilling wet-cold one, all in the same week. From the broad Rhine River valley, to the narrow Tauber River valley. Such can be the extremes of weather and geography in the Baden wine region.

Baden’s Tauberfranken wine district is far to the north and east of most of the rest of the Baden region. It lies less than 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Wuerzburg, in Franconia (Franken, in German). The town of Lauda-Koenigshofen, an important center in this district, is where the trail began. (Officially, it begins in the associated village of Beckstein, but parking was not as easy there.) Lauda-Koenigshofen lies on the west bank of the Tauber River, but in large part seems fairly divorced from the river. Skirting west of the old walled town center (well worth a quick visit), the trail avoided the river altogether and headed uphill into the vineyards.

Gate in the Wall: Lauda-Koenigshofen

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Wine Notes: Baden’s Tauberfranken

 

What I Learned  

A bit of the Baden wine region lies far north, with some of it in the German State of Bavaria! Baden’s Grosslage Tauberklinge extends north from around Assamstadt to the area around Homburg am Main. Much of this district lies along or quite near to the Tauber River. Other sectors lie in small valleys of minor Main River tributaries, or of tributaries to the Tauber River.

The Taubertal (Tauber (River) Valley) is a very diverse wine growing area. Following along the course of the river, upstream (south) to downstream (north), you find 3 regions (Franconia, Baden and Wuerttemberg) and 4 districts represented: Franconia’s Mainviereck District, Baden’s Tauberfranken District, Wuerttemberg’s Kocher-Jagst-Tauber District, and Franconia’s Maindreieck District. All this within about 120 miles of a fairly narrow river valley! The frequent district changes reflect the diverse soils and growing conditions in each region. Of course, these differences result in a variety of unique wines produced along the Tauber.

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Tauberschwarzweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Tauberschwarzweg

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit trail; well-maintained and about half is paved, the other surfaces are grass and earthen; marking on the trail is somewhat good, but a map is strongly advised.

Length: circa13 kilometers/8 miles (See comments below)

Convenient to: Wertheim, or Wuerzburg, Germany

Marking: The capital letter “D”

Trail Signage: D for Tauberschwarzweg

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Kur und Wein: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Kur und Wein (Cure and Wine) – Rundwanderweg LT 17

Trail Type: Long distance circuit trail; variety of paved or hard-packed surfaces, to include stairs; well maintained, and fairly well-marked, once beyond Bismarckstrasse in Bad Mergentheim.

Length: Total: 16.25 kilometers/ 11 miles

Convenient to: Wuerzburg, Germany

Marking: LT 17 (and Panoramaweg in Bad Mergentheim)

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