Trail Name: Wuerttemberger Weinradweg
Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, marking on the trail very good
Length:
Total – 354 kilometers/219 miles
My segment – 32 kilometers/ 20 miles
Convenient to: Stuttgart, Tuebingen, Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany
Marking: Square metal shield with a white-outlined stylized rider on a bicycle superimposed on a burgundy background
Continue reading Wuerttemberger Weinradweg: Trail in a Nutshell
Spring blooms relatively early in the southern Pfalz. First, and perhaps the most spectacular of all, are the almond blossoms. Beginning in early March and continuing until mid-April, the profuse, brilliantly pink flowers seen against a cerulean blue sky, are a gorgeous sight. This magnificent spectacle prompted a long-distance hiking trail entitled the Pfaelzer Mandelpfad, or the Pfalz Almond Trail. While I unfortunately arrived just as the pink almond blossoms had faded, I could see the next tree blossoms on deck: the delicately colored white apple tree blossoms.
What I Learned
The Pfalz has more hectares (about 23, 600) under vine than any other wine region in Germany, except Rheinhessen. It is divided into two districts: the Mittelhaardt, and the Suedliche Weinstrasse. White wine varietals, of which there are over 70 different types, predominate, especially Riesling, but red wine varietals are increasing, now with over 50 types, in proportion to the white varietals.
In the Suedliche Weinstrasse district, the Deutsche Weintor Winery (Winzergenossenschaft) primarily serves the Suedliche Weinstrasse district. Founded in 1956, the winery takes its name from Deutsche Weintor, the iconic wine gate in Schweigenhof-Rechtenbach on the French border, which marked the end of German’s first car tourism Route: The German Wine Road (Deutsche Weinstrasse). A popular tourist site, many people are familiar with the Deutsches Weintor vinothek there. However, its cellar, begun in 1957, is a bit further north, in Ilbesheim bei Landau. It likewise has a vinothek. Nowadays, with over 600 wine growers, and over 850 hectares, the Deutsche Weintor Winery dominates the wine production of this area.
Trail Name: Fassboden 3
Trail Type: Short distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and on mostly paved surfaces, (with little vehicular traffic along the way). Marking on the trail was good in some areas, albeit with only generic cycling traffic marking, and non-existent in others. (Best to have the free map or the GPX coordinates found at the link below.)
Length:
Total – 23.5 kilometers/14.5 miles
Convenient to: Landau, or Karlsruhe, or Bad Bergzabern, Germany
Marking:
Square signs with a wine barrel and the number 3 inscribed on it. (Colors are green and white; sometimes it is a green background with white design, or otherwise vice versus.)
Increasingly, wine regions, especially those growing iconic grape varietals, sponsor varietal wine walking trails. Riesling is an especially important varietal in the Rhine River Valley. When I heard of one such trail in the wine region of Baden, I decided to visit.
The Riesling Weg (Trail) is located in the village of Eisental. In this part of the Baden wine region, the Ortenau, Riesling is the single-most cultivated varietal. Riesling can be a challenge to grow, given the lack of sunshine some years, and the steep slopes required to ensure maximal sun exposure when there is any. However, this Riesling trail was not challenging, and is easy enough for the whole family to enjoy.
First, there was the village. Small, compact, and nestled in a hollow, it was an oasis of tranquility. The old nucleus of the village, set around the church and town hall (Rathaus), was untouched by tourism – So laid back that it has only one eatery in the center.
What I Learned
Riesling grows in every German wine region, and in some, a lot more than others. In the Baden wine region, Riesling is the single most cultivated white varietal. The Ortenau, in particular, grows more Riesling proportionally, than any other wine area within the Baden wine region.
Riesling has a long and interesting history here. Traditionally, the name Klingelberger applies to Riesling wine from the Ortenau. In a nod to this tradition, you can still find Riesling wine sold under this label, (much as you can find Pinot Noir grown in Affental, bottled under the name Affentaler). Another tradition involves the use of the uniquely shaped flat Bocksbeutel as the bottle of choice. The Bocksbeutel is traditionally associated with the Franken/Franconia wine region, but this area of the Ortenau adopted its use in the 1700s, when a nobleman from Franconia took up residence here, and bottled his wines using the Bocksbeutel. After a lengthy legal suit in the 1970s over Franconia’s exclusive right to use the Bocksbeutel, the court upheld the Ortenau tradition, ruling that outside Franconia, only the Baden areas around Neuweier, Steinbach and Varnhalt could bottle their wine that way.
Trail Name: Rieslingweg
Trail Type: Short distance circuit trail; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, very good marking on the trail
Length:
Total – 7.1 kilometers/4.4 miles
Convenient to: Baden-Baden, Germany
Marking: Green grapes with a green leaf on a white (sometimes yellow) background
While it might not be true wine, monkeys do consume, quite deliberately, fermented fruit juice found in the wild.
A theme of monkeys and wine drew me to a hike in the Affental, not far from Baden-Baden, Germany. A possible translation of Affen-tal, is Monkey Valley. Wine from this area is duly bottled with a monkey embossing the front of the bottle. I had often wondered about this somewhat incongruous mascot, and a visit to the local cooperative, Affentaler Winzer, provided an opportunity to taste the local wines, and learn more about the viticultural history and practices of the area. The short hike gave me an opportunity to wander through the vineyards of Affental.
What I Learned
Monkey Valley, or Affental, in German, has a long history of wine making. Located just south of Baden-Baden, this corner of Baden, Germany long attracted and encouraged monastic foundations. As is often the case, it was medieval religious who established the viticulture of the region, as they needed communion wine. In this case, the 13th century Cistercians from the Lichtenthaler Monastery of Baden-Baden planted Pinot Noir vines in this area of steep slopes with good exposure to the sun.
The practice of viticulture has continued ever since. In 1908, local vintners created the Affentaler Winzer, a cooperative winery. This cooperative focused on red wine production. Although other cooperatives were also in Eisental, Affentaler Winzer has since incorporated them into its cooperative. Affentaler wine has stood out, literally, since 1949, as the Affental Winzer red wine bottles have a raised metal plaquette of a monkey on them.
