Category Archives: Germany

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Hessische Bergstrasse

 

What I Learned

The Hessische Bergstrasse is one of the smallest wine regions in Germany, with less than 450 hectares of land under vine. Facing onto the Rhine River valley, with the Odenwald mountains and forest at its back, the weather here is milder than in most other places in Germany. The name of the region comes from the “mountain road” (Berg Strasse) that the Romans built along the foothills. Roman roads often had relay stations, small forts and taverns to serve officials and soldiers as well as travelling merchants. And where Romans resided, they often planted vines for wine. So, the first evidence of viticulture dates to 2,000 years ago.

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Winzer und Weinstuben Tour: Trail in a Nutshell

 

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

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Germany, Hiking

To the North: The Wii Wegli

 

At this point on my hike along the Wi Wegli, I had no doubt that years from now, all my wine-themed hiking experiences considered, the Wii Wegli in the southern Baden wine region, will rank in my top three. This long-distance hiking trail provided a delightful hiking experience as well as a great tasting experience in one. From south (by Basel, Switzerland) to north (by Freiburg) great experiences awaited over every hill, and in every village. By the time I reached Muellheim, I had not realized that some of the best were yet to come.

I left Niederweiler, overshadowed from on high by the ancient Celtic, Roman and medieval edifices of Badenweiler, and climbed an equally formidable slope on the other side of the village, the Roemerberg. The climb was mostly through vineyards. Emerging from the forests that crown the top of the Roemerberg, beginning the descent, I spotted the village of Britzingen. Like so many of its neighboring villages, it is set in a hollow, following along a rushing mountain stream, and surrounded by green. However, the full magical effect of these discoveries came shortly afterwards as I wandered through eerily still Muggardt, the sole lane winding up through the hamlet on its way to vineyards.

Muggardt's Main Street
Muggardt’s Main Street

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Markgraeflerland II

 

What I Learned

The Markgraeflerland district is along the southern-most section of the Rhine as it borders France, in the region of Baden, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. As many other wine regions in the Rhine River valley, the Romans cultivated and harvested grapes here, and with the start of the Carolingian era, viticulture and viniculture took hold again.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Wii Wegli: Trail in a Nutshell II

 

Trail Name:  Wii Wegli

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and usually paved or hard pack, marking on the trail very good throughout.

Length:  81.6 kilometers/ 50.5 miles (See note below)

Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany; Basel, Switzerland

Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on white background (Note: many times the red has faded to white. Another note: In the final segment, the trail often follows the Jacobusweg: yellow cockleshell on blue)

Wii Wegli Trail Marking
Wii Wegli Trail Marking

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Germany, Hiking

From the South: The Wii Wegli

 

I have hiked many wine trails, in many different wine regions. And I have tasted many wines from those regions. But rarely does a trail combine both a wonderful hiking experience and tasting experience in one. For sheer variety of landscape, and expansive vistas of much of the southern Rhine River Valley, the Wii Wegli (dialect for: little wine trail) is a fantastic long-distance hiking experience. Located in the southwestern corner of Germany, the Markgraeflerland is a wine district in Baden’s wine region – one with excellent wines. From south (by Basel, Switzerland) to north (by Freiburg) great hiking and wine experiences awaited over every hill, and in every village.

View of the Rhine
View of the Rhine

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Markgraeflerland I

 

What I Learned

The Markgraeflerland wine district is along the southern-most section of the Rhine as it borders France and Switzerland, in the wine region of Baden, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is the southern-most wine producing district in Germany. It begins in Weil am Rhein, just outside the Swiss city of Basel, and continues almost to Freiburg. The vineyards lie on the foothills between the river valley floor, and the Black Forest mountains to the east. About 3000 hectares, and 90 cooperatives, cellars and wine estates are dedicated to the production of this district’s wine, carried out the in villages and small towns that dot this area.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Wii Wegli: Trail in a Nutshell I

 

Trail Name:  Wii Wegli

Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; very well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard-pack, marking on the trail is consistent, and pretty good throughout (although maps are necessary).

Length: 81.6 kilometers/50.5 miles (See comment below)

Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany, Basel, Switzerland

Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on a white background (Note: many times, the red has faded to white. Another note: In the final segment, the trail often follows the Jacobusweg: yellow cockleshell on blue background)

Wii Wegli Trail Marking
Wii Wegli Trail Marking

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Germany, Hiking

Durbacher Weinpanorama Trail

 

Durbach is the name of a quiet village set among the hills of the Ortenau wine district in Germany.

This village, on the edge of the famous Black Forest, attracts active vacationers who enjoy being outdoors. Dark green woods, bright green vineyards, and tufts of wildflowers set against contrasting shades of green, or bright blue sky, form a large part of this summertime color palette. Snaking through it, in shades of red or white, are thin paths leading upward. They combine, in a variety of ways, to form sections of the numerous hiking trails crisscrossing this hilly landscape. Hikers wishing to take advantage of them will need to stay for several days to explore them all!

From Above Durbach
From Above Durbach

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Ortenau, Durbach

 

What I Learned

The Ortenau is a district in Germany’s Baden wine region. This district lies on an undulating landscape, in bucolic countryside, punctuated by picturesque wine villages. Durbach is one of these villages, renowned for its excellent vineyards, and justly famed for the quality of its wines. Ridgelines here are less lines, than semi-circles, creating several small natural bowls with steep sides. Most of the growths have ideal exposure to the sun. Additionally, these bowls protect the grape-bearing slopes from too much wind. The climate here is exceptionally mild and sunny in summer. In short, this is one of the best areas for growing grapes in Baden.

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