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
What I Learned
The Taubertal (Tauber (River) Valley) is a very diverse wine growing area. Following along the course of the river, upstream to downstream, you find 3 regions 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.
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
My first question: does that translate as capitol or capital? The answer is capital. Second and third questions: what is a capital, and why are ten of them in vineyards? The answers to these questions became clear once I started hiking through the vineyards of Soave.
Continue reading Soave Classico and the 10 Capitelli Circuit
What I Learned
The town of Soave with its famous vineyards is located west of Venice, in a hilly landscape between Verona and Vicenza.
Soave wine tends to be a blend. The Garganega grape is the main grape found in its wines. Its juice will always comprise at least 70% of any DOC Soave wine. Trebbiano and Chardonnay can also make up the blend. Around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, Sauvignon Blanc is also cultivated. Decades ago, Soave’s unique white wine didn’t have the best reputation. All that has changed with a stringent adherence to the quality rules.
Trail Name: Dieci Capitelli
Trail Type: Mid-distance hiking circuit; mostly paved or hard-packed gravel, maintained, but uneven in spots, and fairly well-marked.
Length: total: circa 10 kilometers/6 miles
Convenient To: Verona or Vicenza, Italy
Marking: Brown sign with trail name in white letters; yellow signs with black lettering indicate location (or way to a location).
Continue reading Soave Classico 10 Capitelli: Trail in a Nutshell
