I must confess: I was not looking forward to this bike ride. It is not in a well-known wine area; actually, it’s not in a well-known area, period. The day was overcast and seemed to threaten rain. Once on the ground though, my mood improved, and kept improving as the miles sped by. (Or in some cases, crept by, as this is a hilly area to traverse on bicycle, the steep, hill-without-end between Grossvillars and Sternenfels coming to mind.)
Trail Name: Besen Tour
Trail Type: Medium distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and much of it paved surface, fairly good marking along the trail.
Length: 36.5 kilometers/ 22.5 miles
Convenient to: Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, or Heilbronn, Germany
Marking: A white square metal plaque with a broom and the words “Besen Tour”
Anyone fortunate enough to be in Germany in late April, May or the first half of June, has undoubtedly experienced “Spargel Saison”: Asparagus Season. These are not your ordinary asparagus spears! They are round, and fat, and so fresh-looking as to be unreal. They are ethereally white, and they have a dainty crisp-tenderness that defies description. They can also be extremely expensive, with the first local spears starting at around $30 for a kilo (2.2 pounds). It is the white gold of the vegetable world (excepting hops shoots, which relate to beer so we won’t go there) – ranking up there with other costly edibles such as white truffles and saffron.
Come Asparagus Season, traditional dishes such as asparagus cream soup (many variations, but all delicious), and steamed asparagus spears with herbed crepes (or steamed potatoes) and hollandaise sauce, make their seasonal appearance on menus across the country, but especially in the Rhine Valley. Suggested wine pairings include Baden’s Gutedel, and Franconia’s Silvaner wines.
Trail Name: Weisses Gold und Traubensaft
Trail Type: A medium-distance, themed bicycle circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.
Length: Total: 49 kilometers/ 31 miles
Convenient to: Heidelberg, or Karlsruhe, Germany
Marking: None
Continue reading Weisses Gold und Traubensaft: Trail in a Nutshell
Attention wine drinkers: This trail is for you.
Most of the wine- or vineyard-themed trails I have followed focus on seeing particular terroir or grape varieties, or learning about the vinicultural processes involved in making a regional wine. But one trail along the foothills of the Hessische Bergstrasse wine region though, seems to focus on enjoyment of the final product, that is to say, drinking the wines themselves. And given the name of the trail, the Winzer und Weinstuben Tour, (the Vintner and Wine Bar Tour), that is not surprising.
Trail Name: Winzer und Weinstuben Tour
Trail Type: Short distance trail; on almost exclusively paved bike paths or roads, well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.
Length: 19 kilometers / 12 miles
Convenient to: Darmstadt or Heidelberg, Germany
Marking: None
Continue reading Winzer und Weinstuben Tour: Trail in a Nutshell
Recently, I visited a quiet corner of Italy. That is almost a contradiction of terms nowadays, and often difficult to find in the summer. Seeking a refuge in the great outdoors, free from crowds, I came across a bike ride through vineyards in Aosta Valley. Since I had never been there, I decided to make the trip. What a trove of new discoveries of all sorts!
Trail Name: Tour dei Vigneti
Trail Type: Short to medium distance bicycling trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is infrequently marked.
Length:
Segments – 1.5, 3.5, 5, 5.5, 8 and 10 kilometers
Total – 10 kilometers/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Aosta, Italy
Marking: Green rectangular Sign with white lettering “Tour dei Vigneti” and a number
The Rhineland Palatinate’s Suedliche Weinstrasse wine district has long had a multi-faceted approach to its wine-making and wine tourism. From cooperatives to independent wine makers, from car routes to hiking and biking trails through the vineyards and towns where the production of wine takes place. These are not one-off trails. Rather they have been well-thought out, and are mutually supportive. One bicycle circuit I recently completed demonstrates these characteristics.
Trail Name: Fassboden 6
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; almost exclusively paved, the remainder hard-packed earth; well maintained, and fairly well marked.
Length: total: 18 kilometers/ @ 12 miles (1.5 hours)
Convenient to: Landau, Germany
Marking: Green and white square sign, with white bicycle, wine barrel and number “6” in white.
