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
Feeling low on wine and romance? Then here is the cure: head to Bad Mergentheim. This delightful little spa town set in the valley of the Tauber, has water sources with the minerals that benefit the digestive system. Much as wine, in moderation, can do.
Small, and as remote (comparatively speaking) as it may be, chances are you have heard of it, or even driven through it. It is on the very first, and now the most famous, German car touring itinerary, the Romantic Road. This 200-plus mile itinerary stretches from the beautiful city to Wuerzburg, south to the Alps, passing through or by some of Germany’s most iconic attractions, quaintest villages, and spectacular scenery. The highlight in Bad Mergentheim is the imposing complex that once served as the headquarters of the Teutonic Order. (It now houses a museum detailing the history of the order, as well as local history.) It is here that the trail begins.
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 (Franconia, Baden and Wuerttemberg) 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.
Trail Name: Kur und Wein (Cure and Wine) – Rundwanderweg LT 17
Trail Type: Long distance circuit trail; variety of paved or hard-packed surfaces, to include stairs; well maintained, and fairly well-marked, once beyond Bismarckstrasse in Bad Mergentheim.
Length: Total: 16.25 kilometers/ 11 miles
Convenient to: Wuerzburg, Germany
Marking: LT 17 (and Panoramaweg in Bad Mergentheim)
Trail Name: Burgunderpfad
Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; varied surfaces from grass to hardpacked dirt, to asphalt; well maintained, and mostly well-marked.
Length:
Total: 27.5 kilometers/ 17 miles
Segment (mine): Gottenheim to Munzingen: 17.5
Convenient to: Freiburg, Germany
Marking: Purple grapes with light green terraces in profile, in a white circle, on a red stripe
What I Learned
The smallest of all Baden wine districts lies within the largest, the Kaiserstuhl. The Tuniberg is an enormous bank of limestone, geologically quite distinct from the surrounding volcanic Kaiserstuhl. It is an elevated area, separated from the Kaiserstuhl by a broad valley, and it is further away from the Rhine.
When I think back on all the wine-themed hiking paths I have done, the Burgundy Path in southern Germany will always be one of my favorites. What is not to like about this trail through peaceful agricultural land, and laid-back villages, in Germany’s warmest, sunniest and driest area!
The Tuniberg is by the Kaiserstuhl, a unique geographical outcropping formed by volcanos. However, the Tuniberg, on the southern edge, is a giant bank of limestone, which extends roughly north-south for over a dozen miles. Its sometimes steep slopes stand higher than the Rhine River valley lands around it. This affords great sun and wind exposure, which combined with a goodly amount of sun for an area this far north, and limestone soils, makes it the “Burgundy Oasis” in Baden.
The Weinwetterweg circuit, if nothing else, promotes a new appreciation for viticultural workers on the Moselle. The “Terraced Moselle” is the name of wine district where the lower length of the Moselle starts, and serious terraces begin. This end of the Moselle twists and turns through the slate cliffs and outcroppings that line its sides. As it approaches the junction with the Rhine at Coblenz, the seemingly impossible-to-sustain vineyards appear between narrow river frontage, and high rocky promontories. This is the most spectacular part of the Moselle, and is well worth both a visit and a hike.
What I Learned:
Germany’s important (and oldest) wine-producing Moselle River region has three wine districts along it – the Upper, Middle and Lower – beginning at the French-Luxembourg border, and continuing to Koblenz downriver. This post focuses on the Lower Moselle (Untermosel), also known as the Terraced Moselle (Terrassenmosel).
This district, north of Zell (with the famous black cat emblem), past Cochem and its imposing Reichsburg Castle, to the river junction at Koblenz with the Rhine, boasts some of the steepest vineyards in the world. It is home to the Calmont in Bremm, which has almost a 65-degree incline! Hence the need for the narrow terraces which dominate the landscape in the vine-bearing cliffs and steep hillsides of this district. In the village of Hatzenport, three named vineyard areas, the Kirchberg, the Stolzenberg and the Burg Bischofstein, are among some of the steepest vineyards in the district.
Trail Name: Hatzenport WeinWetterWeg
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; well-maintained, varied trail surfaces from rock, to scree, to grass and tarmac; excellent signage along the trail.
Length:
Total – 12 kilometers/ 7.5 miles
Convenient to: Coblenz, Cochem, Germany
Marking: A white rabbit and grapes, with directional arrow diagrams
