Old Wine Cellar, Hoeflein
Vineyards outside Hoeflein
Cabotte
Detail, Hotel-Dieu, Beaune
Historic Center, Beaune
Gallery May 2016
Monthly Archives: May 2016
Cote de Beaune – Up Close
I confess – I love this town unconditionally. I have been to Beaune at least five times, and always find something new to learn. Most recently, I came across a series of hiking circuits designed to explore the immediate surroundings of Beaune, namely, its famed vineyards and wines. Reason number 123,456,789 to return.
Conveniently starting at a park at the edge of town (easily accessible from hotels in the historic part of town), I began my hike – after sitting on a bench to savor the most delicious, buttery, almond croissant ever. Sharing the trail for a bit with runners, bikers soon joined in as the trail followed part of the Veloroute Voie des Vignes through the lower (and flatter) reaches of Beaune’s vineyards. They headed south, as I began the modest climb into the vine-covered hills above Beaune. I was not alone though. Not surprisingly many people were in the vineyards tending the vines in mid-April.
Wine Notes: Burgundy’s Beaune
What I Learned:
Beaune, situated at the northern end of the Cote de Beaune, is a capital city. Not in any political sense, but it certainly reigns supreme as the capital city of Burgundy wines. Within the district of Beaune’s 410 hectares (slightly over a thousand acres) of vines there are 42 Premier Cru vineyards. The majority of wines bearing the Beaune appellation are Pinot Noir.
During late medieval times, especially under the powerful Dukes of Burgundy, its wine enjoyed a particularly great reputation in the rest of France and the Low Countries. Over the years, other villages in the Cote de Beaune region have come to enjoy greater reputations for their wines perhaps, but Beaune continues to attract wine-lovers from around the world.
Vineyards of Beaune: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Vignoble de Beaune Circuit Series, “Tout le Coteau” Circuit
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surfaces to include paved, dirt, stone, and grass, mostly well maintained. Note that the route itself is not marked with signs specific to this particular route, rather signposts indicate the way to the next itinerary point (identified below) this route shares with others.
Length: total: 12 kilometers/ 7.5 miles
Convenient to: Beaune, Burgundy, France
Marking: None specific to this particular circuit. (See above.) Rectangular yellow signs point to the next location on the trail itinerary, and a green band on top of the post indicates current location.
Carnuntum Past and Present
Farming, believed to have arisen about 13,000 years ago, started with grains and vegetables. Later, vines were cultivated, and wine produced, about 7,000 years ago. Nowadays in Austria’s Carnuntum region, wind is being harvested in the same fields that made Pannonia famous for its grains in earlier times. Fortunately, there are a lot of vines as well. And the local district tourism office has developed a series of hiking and biking routes to show-case them.
Wine Notes: Austria’s Carnuntum
What I Learned:
Carnuntum’s wine district, with its center around Hoeflein and Goettlesbrunn, is one of eight districts in the Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria) Wine Region, most of which lie along, or at least relatively close to the Danube. It is a district with a proud vine cultivation history pre-dating even the Romans, extending as far back in time as the Celts.
Carnuntum has three principle growing areas, the Leithagebirge, the Hainburger Berge and the Arbesthaler Huegelland. Soils throughout are mostly sandy and loamy. Small differences in the soil though make for different challenges and ultimately different wines. The area’s named vineyards, or Riede, are well-known by local vintners.
Weinwandern in Carnuntum: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Weinwandern in Carnuntum: Hoeflein Variante
Trail Type: An easy, family-friendly/carriage-friendly, short distance circuit, with well-maintained trail surfaces that are tarmacked or otherwise hardpacked, and with specific trail markings that are mostly easy to follow and are fairly well-updated.
Length: total: 9.7 kilometers/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Vienna, Austria
Marking: Rectangles with a horizontal white bar across the middle, flanked by similar red bars above and below it; bearing the words: Weinwandern in Carnuntum
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