Tag Archives: biking,

Biking, Germany

Cycling Markgraefler Vine-Country

 

The German region of Baden stretches from north to south for a couple hundred kilometers along the Rhine. The southernmost part of it, down by the Swiss borderlands at Basel, is known as Markgraeflerland. This area has some of the warmest and sunniest weather in Germany – great conditions both for growing grapes and bicycling!

So it was on a warm, sunny, Spring day, that I found myself enjoying the bike trails which cover miles of vineyards in this quiet corner of the Rhine river valley. And being a German holiday, the perfect weather lured more people than usual onto the well-marked and well-maintained trails. But no matter, a festive atmosphere prevailed along with the sunshine for the whole day! And I do mean festive: being a German holiday in the Spring, many wine taverns were open, some even with live music.

Cyclists on the Trail
Cyclists on the Trail

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Markgraefler Vine-Country Bike Tour: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Markgraefler Rebland Radtour

Trail Type: Middle distance; bicycle circuit almost exclusively paved, largely on dedicated bike trail or lane; well maintained and signed, albeit not specifically marked for this trail.

Length: total: 35 km

Convenient to: Freiburg

Marking: Green and white bike directional marking only. (No marking specific to this trail.)

Green Directional Signboard with Some Trail Icons
Green Directional Signboard with Some Trail Icons

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Biking, Germany

From the Rhine to the Wine

I loved this trail even before I rode it. The name says it all. And what could be better than an afternoon on the Rhine, with a glass of wine in hand?

The Suedliche Weinstrasse in the southern Pfalz is one of my favorite regions in Germany. It is a small area, bounded by the Rhine to the east, and the Haardt Mountains to the west, with little wine villages studding the countryside in between. Therefore, this trail covers it all for cycling families looking for the quintessential wine-themed bike ride in Germany.

From the Mountains, to the Plains
From the Mountains, to the Plains

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Biking, Germany

Wine for a Song

 

Rather than referring to the cost of the wine here (although some quality producers offer great Rheinterrassen wine at very reasonable prices), today’s post title refers to the Song of the Nibelungen, that epic poem of feasts with wine, hosted by powerful kings with brave knights, and a fearless slayer of dragons guarding vast treasures.

The poem (later adapted and set to music in Wagner’s Ring Cycle), tells of the life and death of the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried, and his relationship with the Burgundians. Much of the action takes place in and around the city of Worms “on the Rhine”, which is home to the court of the Burgundian king Gunther and his wife and queen Brunhild. (It is also now home to several sculptures of dragons, commemorating this facet of the poem.)

Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons

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Germany, Nutshell

Rheinterrassen Route: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Rheinterrassen route

Trail Type: Long distance; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.

Length: total: 50.5 km/31.5 miles

Convenient to: Mainz or Worms, Germany

Marking: Dark green and lighter green lines, and silhouetted town skyline, on a white background.

 

Rheinterrassenroute Signage
Rheinterrassenroute Signage

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Biking, Germany

Three German Wine Regions By Bike

FOUR wine districts, THREE wine regions, TWO rivers, and ONE valley – GO! It is all for the experiencing along Germany’s Taubertal on the wonderfully laid-out Wein Radreise Trail.

This long distance trail has six recommended stages (although I only biked stages 2, 3 and 4, from the famous Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Wertheim on the Main), and merges with other bike trails along the Tauber and Main Rivers, such as the Liebliches Taubertal, and the well-known Main Radweg. Combining these trails, you could easily spend a couple of weeks traversing much of the wine production areas of central Germany. Then, where the Main Bike Trail reaches the Rhine around Wiesbaden/Mainz, you could then follow part of the 800 mile-long Rhine Bike Trail either north or south… You get the picture: Germany can be a wine-loving cyclist’s paradise.   Continue reading Three German Wine Regions By Bike →

Biking, Germany, Nutshell

A Wine Bike Trip: Trail in a Nutshell

Name: Wein Radreise (Wine Bike Trip)

Trail type: Long distance trail; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved, well maintained and mostly marked.

Length: about 194 kilometers/120 miles

Convenient to: Heilbronn, or Wuerzburg, Germany

Marking: White stylized bicyclist with a wine glass on green background

Wein Radreise Trail Sign
Wein Radreise Trail Sign

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Biking, Italy

Franciacorta’s Saten Cycling Itinerary

Italy has a lot of wines, and a lot wine regions. In addition to still wines, Italy has several versions of sparkling wine. Prosecco and Asti Spumante are perhaps the best known. The region of Franciacorta, a relative newcomer to Italian sparkling wine production, seems to outshine them all though, not only in quality sparkling wine production, but also in wine tourism.

Franciacorta is an ideal location for a wine-themed biking vacation. The lake of Iseo, in addition to being a beautiful, scenic backdrop, helps to moderate temperature; the hills shelter you and the vines from excessive wind; wine production, an old tradition here, resulted in small, established wine villages, linked by country backroads. Best of all, it is quiet and laid-back: I encountered almost as many people cycling as driving on some of these backroads. With this in mind, the regional tourism board has created some well-thought out, marvelously scenic, wine-themed routes. Each of the numbered five routes was color-coded and cleverly named after one of Franciacorta’s famed sparkling wine products. (See the trail Nutshells: Green Trail and YellowTrail.)

Franciacorta Hilltop Village
Franciacorta Hilltop Village

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Biking, Italy, Nutshell

Franciacorta Saten: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name(s): Itinerario 1/Percorso Giallo (yellow)/Franciacorta Saten

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved in built up areas, well maintained and marked.

Length: total: 30 km/18.25 miles

Convenient to: Lake Iseo, Italy, Brescia, Italy, and about 75 minutes from Milan.

Marking: Brown rectangular sign with white and yellow writing (“Itinerario 1”, “Percorso Giallo” “Saten”)

Percorso Giallo Trail Sign
Percorso Giallo Trail Sign

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Biking, Germany

Riding for Riesling, Part II

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As the Moselle flows through Germany, its geography changes. Three designated sections: the Upper Moselle which flows from the French border to fabulous Roman-era Trier; the Middle Moselle; and finally, the Lower, or Terraced Moselle which goes from Zell to the mouth of the river at Koblenz; are quite distinct.

The Moselle begins quite gently, and gradually roughens, sharpening its curves on the unyielding slate hills. By the Lower Moselle, slopes become steeper, rock predominates, and the river forms several of its most backbreaking oxbows between Briedel, Zell and Cochem. Here, to maximize vineyard space, vintners must build terraces.

Terraced Vineyards along the Moselle
Terraced Vineyards along the Moselle

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