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France, Hiking

Vineyards under Snow

 

It snows in many wine making regions. Maybe not as much as it snows in New England over the past couple of weeks, but it does snow, especially in the Sued Tirol and Alsace. Snow and cold temperatures are actually beneficial for vines, even if it is less than optimal for hiking. Thus, I found myself in Alsace two years ago, ready to hike, but wishing I’d brought my snowshoes.

The trail was called Parcours du Vigneron, a 13-kilometer hike through the vineyards on the slopes surrounding the small town of Rosheim. The vineyards, as well as the well-preserved town walls and gates, and some impressive Romanesque architecture, are the chief attractions of the town. This cleverly designed trail, provides ample opportunity to admire it all, and from a couple of different perspectives.

Rosheim: Three of the Four Evangelists

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France, Wines

Wine Notes: Alsace’s Middle Bas Rhin

 

What I Learned

Rosheim and Ottrott are small, but significant wine villages. Both these communes lie in the Bas Rhin department, in the Molsheim canton, in the northern part of Alsace.

Northern Alsace has a great viticultural and vinicultural tradition. Six main white varietals grow throughout Alsace: Riesling, Silvaner, Gewuerztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and the only red varietal: Pinot Noir.

Alsatian Pinot Noir wines tend to be lighter, but very fruit-forward Pinot Noir wines. They are, of course, different from Burgundian Pinot Noir wines, from which tradition they derive. Early in the 12th century monks from Burgundy headed into Alsace, bringing vine plantings with them.

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France, Hiking, Nutshell

Parcours du Vigneron: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Parcours du Vigneron

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained with mostly hard (paved or packed earth) surfaces; signage for this itinerary mostly good.

Length:

Total – 13 kilometers/8 miles

Circuit du Terroir : 8 kilometers/5 miles

Circuit du Savoir Faire : 5 kilometers/3 miles

Convenient to: Strasbourg, France

Marking: Trail name in black letters, on a white rectangular background with a line drawing of a vintner.

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Germany, Hiking

A Good Witch

 

Kappelrodeck’s witch is a good one, IMHO. She brings happiness and casts an enchanting spell over the little town and its surroundings. Her spell succeeds in charming and beguiling all who make their way through the relatively narrow pass climbing along the Acher valley at the foot of the Black Forest Mountain range.

Certainly, the landscape bewitches with its fascinating geology and natural beauty! Hills mound about like lumps on the landscape. Most of their slopes contain vines. These face the sun at different times of the day. The sun, along with the rain (and snow in the winter), make these incredibly green. The tops of the hills are often covered with pines: Tall, dark and majestic. Behind them the Black Forest begins.

Vines Against the Black Forest Pines

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Ortenau’s Kappelrodeck

 

What I Learned:

Certainly one of the most fascinating vineyard areas in Baden’s Ortenau wine district, the area around Kappelrodeck and Waldulm stands out as topographically impressive for growing grapes in a never-to-be-forgotten mixture of hill and dale.

Slopes are steep. Hills cluster close together. The profile of the hills resembles a grape cluster lying on the ground: round mounds intersected by narrow dales. This topography is ideal as far as the vines’ exposition to the sun goes. Being steep, rainwater drains well away from the vines. Additionally, the area lies in a valley sheltered by higher ridgelines to the north, south, and east. As a result, even though this area of Germany has its share of foggy or overcast, even rainy, days, when the sun shines, each grape stands a good chance of getting some decent exposure to its warming and ripening rays.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Durch Die Weinberge: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Kappelrodeck – Durch die Weinberge (Through the Vineyards)

Trail Type: A mid-distance circuit itinerary; well-maintained, and on mostly paved or even, hard-packed surfaces; marking on the trail is directional to the next itinerary point and not specific or exclusive to this itinerary.

Length:

Total – 10 kilometers/6 miles

Convenient to: Baden-Baden or Karlsruhe, Germany

Marking: None specific to the trail, but a series of sign posts will indicate the way to the next one along the itinerary (See itinerary below).

Weinberge Itinerary Signage

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Hiking, Italy

Hiking Valtellina’s Vineyards II

 

Because I sometimes wonder whether I appreciate wine enough, innumerable tastings notwithstanding, I will occasionally take the time to hike multiple stages of some of the longer European wine trails. That is the case with the Via dei Terrazzamenti (Terrace Way) in Italy’s Valtellina wine region. Set just south of Switzerland in the Lombardy province, this Alpine region is as awesome as it is daunting. I appreciate a physical challenge, and while the trail is not as difficult as it could be, given the rugged nature of the terroir, there are literally several breath-taking ascents. These sometimes seem to climb endlessly, but rejoice in it: the higher the climb the more expansive the views. Then there are the descents that will leave your legs feeling it.

Straight Up Shooting, from the Trail

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Italy’s Valtellina II

 

What I Learned

While the Valtellina wine region is not the northernmost wine producing area in Italy, its grapes grow at altitudes of over 760 meters (2500 feet). The terrain here is dominated by mountains: rocky, incredibly steep, subject to sudden changes in weather from the north.

The classification system in Valtellina, like the appellation controlee system in France, is based on geography. In Valtellina, there are five recognized areas of cultivation of the Chiavennasca grape (known as Nebbiolo in the Piedmont). These five areas are distinct micro zones of terroirs and traditions, each with its own history, and each with its own Chiavennasca wine.  Visiting each area, and sampling their wines, provides an excellent opportunity to explore the different expressions of Chiavennasca as vinified in Valtellina.

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