About 20 miles from Stuttgart, Germany, a real treat awaits wine-loving hikers: the Felsengarten Kellerei circuits. Therefore, the next two posts will cover two circuits of this small but highly accessible wine country.
Felsengartenkellerei Treats
Monthly Archives: January 2015
Gallery January 2015
Villages, Vines and the Vosges in Alsace
Hunawihr: Restaurant on a Square
Sudden Clouds over Riquewihr
Trail of the Grands Crus
Street Scene in Riquewihr
Hunawihr and Ribeauville Castles
Alsatian Shutters
Quiet Vineyard above Wellenstein
Wellenstein Vines
Vineyards Above Bech-Kleinmacher
Ridgeline above the Moselle
Wellenstein: A Vintner’s Stairway
Grand Wines, Grand Hike: Sentier Viticole des Grands Crus
Six small villages, nestled unobtrusively amidst the vineyards, hide a secret: some of the best wines in Alsace. The vineyards here aren’t just any sort of vineyards, rather they are Grands Crus; and the wines from these vineyards’ grapes create the highest quality wine in the hierarchy of Alsatian wine. Hiking through this area takes hikers gently past some of these renowned grand cru vineyards, and past the wineries that produce these fantastic wines. The combination of great wines to taste, and a well-laid out hike through the vineyards and associated villages, provides a wine-loving hiker an irresistible opportunity.
Continue reading Grand Wines, Grand Hike: Sentier Viticole des Grands Crus
Wine Notes: Alsace Haut-Rhin
What I Learned:
Alsace is a fantastic wine country. Alsace’s Haut-Rhin (upper Rhine) area is particularly favored with great terroirs, such as the Mandelberg displayed above. Here, as elsewhere in Alsace, the harvests are primarily white varietals. The soil here is minerally, and complex, resulting in crisp, refreshing and uniquely flavored white wines. The six main white varietals grown in Alsace are Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. The only red varietal is Pinot Noir.
Visiting Alsace practically mandates you taste some local wine. First, you will notice the unusually tall wine bottles. You will also notice green-stemmed stemware, with smaller than usual bowls. These two unique items have more in common with German Rhineland traditions than French ones. But like the French tradition, wine producers proudly offer tastes of their product, for wine-making here is an art, and even nowadays, still a family affair.
Sentier Viticole des Grands Crus: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Sentier Viticole des Grands Crus (also known as the Perles du Vignoble)
Trail type: Mid-distance hiking circuit; mostly paved, some hard-packed gravel; very well-maintained and well-marked.
Length: Total – 17 km/10.5 miles
Convenient to: Colmar, Alsace, France
Marking: Mostly gold letters on brown wooden background
Continue reading Sentier Viticole des Grands Crus: Trail in a Nutshell
A Luxurious Christmas in Luxembourg
Celebrating the holiday season in luxurious style often involves a bit of sparkling wine, and Luxembourg sparkles in that regard. Spending Christmas in Luxembourg gave me the opportunity to sample Luxembourg’s sparkling wines, visit some caves, and hike two overlapping trails through vineyards stretching along the slopes of the Moselle Luxembourgeoise wine region.
Wine Notes: Luxembourg
What I Learned:
Little known, as not much is exported, Luxembourg’s wines are readily available and thoroughly enjoyed by residents and visitors in the Grand Duchy. For lovers of dry, white wines, this region provides some delicious alternatives to Alsatian or Rhine white wines.
From the towns of Schengen to Wasserbillig, Luxembourg joins the centuries old tradition of producing wines along the Moselle. On this west side of the river, local vintners grow their grapes mostly in terraces rising steeply from the narrow river plain for much of Luxembourg’s 42 kilometer stretch along the Moselle.