Wine and Cheese, an iconic pairing. Swiss wine and cheese – not so often thought of. But that was exactly what came to mind on this hike.
Most people picture Swiss scenery as idyllic: alpine peaks, pristine villages, high meadows and green pastures. This hike offered it all, on a family-friendly trail that never ceased to amaze.
Trail Name: Weinrunde Malans-Jenins or Rundweg Malans
Trail Type: Medium distance; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and very well-marked.
Length: 10.4 km/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Chur, and Bad Ragaz, Switzerland; Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Marking: Rectangular blue and white arrows with white lettering: Weinwanderweg” (and sometimes red lettering “Rundweg Malans”) (See comment below)
Continue reading Weinrunde Malans-Jenins: Trail in a Nutshell
Trail Name: Vom Rhein Zum Wein
Trail Type: Middle distance bicycle trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and well-marked.
Length: total: 31 kilometers/19.25 miles
Convenient to: Speyer, Germany;
Marking: Profiles of Speyer cathedral and two cyclists in white, on a green rectangular background
The name seemed familiar, one I thought I’d seen on a Chianti wine bottle label, which sports a colorfully dressed knight on horseback. So I followed the signs and found an impressive looking castle (now housing a hotel), a great wine shop, and a fabulous restaurant. Much to my delight, I also found another trail through an estate’s vineyards in Chianti territory! Trails are a rarity here. So, changing my shirt and shoes, along with my plans for the day, I seized the opportunity to follow another trail through a Chianti estate.
Trail Name: Castello di Gabbiano
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; variety of surfaces from paved to hard-packed, or loose, gravel, to grass; maintained, but not marked.
Length: Total: 3.2 kilometers / about 2 miles
Convenient to: Chianti, Florence, Italy
Marking: None
Beautiful Tuscany! The landscape, the people, the food, and of course the wine! And Chianti, the region and the wine, is what most people think of when they think of Tuscany. While opportunities abound to enjoy the food and the wine, there are precious few opportunities to experience the Chianti landscape, especially the terroirs of some of the better known wine areas, to walk them, to hike them, to see them from other than a car window, on your way to a winery, or a well-known town for a quick visit. Given the number of people I met on this trip that bemoaned the lack of well-established country walking opportunities, it appears there is a definite interest in trails (if for no other reason than to be able to walk off all those food and wine calories)!
That is why I was delighted to have identified trails on a recent trip to Chianti. The estate of Vignamaggio, specifically, has developed three short trails that showcase their vineyards, forests and olive groves. This is a private initiative that could go far in promoting their efforts in eno-tourism.
Continue reading Vignamaggio: Paths to Enotourism Excellence
Trail Name: Vignamaggio
Trail Type: Short distance, 3 interconnecting circuits; variety of surfaces from paved to hard-packed, or loose, gravel, to grass; maintained, and well-marked.
Lengths:
V0: about 1.7 kilometers / 1 mile
V1: about 3.4 kilometers / 2 miles
V2: about 3.5 kilometers / 2.25 miles
Total: roughly 8 kilometers / 5 miles
Convenient to: Greve in Chianti, Florence, Italy
Marking: Square blue/green signs with white letters: V0, V1, V2
Vineyards and Castles: Two of my absolute favorite European travel experiences, and I experienced them both on this delightful circuit trail in southern Alsace!
In France, it is more likely that you will find palaces and vineyards. But in Alsace, a famous wine region where for centuries French and German armies clashed, nobles built castles. Literally dozens remain to be seen today. Although most are in ruins, they powerfully evoke a sense of time and place for those visiting their often eerie haunts. This is especially true if you are willing to hike to some of the more remote ones, on distant hills, overlooking remote valleys, practically shrouded by vegetation.
Trail Name: Vignoble et Chateaux
Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit; varied surface types (paved, grass, dirt, rock), with some steps to climb; fairly well-maintained trail; the route itself is usually clearly marked, except in a couple of places.
Length: Total: 10.5 kilometers/6.5 miles
Convenient to: Colmar, France
Marking: Trail name “Vignoble et Chateaux” in purple letters on white background. (Another trail name also appears on these signs when trails overlap.)
Continue reading Alsace’s Vineyards and Castles: Trail in a Nutshell
Like the bow of a great ship, the plateau above Vernou sur Brenne separated the waters of the Brenne and the Cisse rivers. And like a ship, the deck was laden with goods: In this case the plateau was planted extensively with grapevines. Being within the Vouvray appellation, all these Chenin Blanc grapes were destined to become Vouvray wine – one of the best known white wines from France’s Loire Valley.
The vineyards are not apparent from the center of the little town of Vernou. The old center huddles between the banks of the little Brenne and Cisse Rivers and the tufa cliffs behind the town. This is where this short and easy hike begins. Following the shady embankment along the Brenne, a short segment of the trail leads steeply up the cliff and onto the plateau.
