From one end of Baden to the other, there is a world of difference in weather and wines. From a relatively warm day, to a bone-chilling wet-cold one, all in the same week. From the broad Rhine River valley, to the narrow Tauber River valley. Such can be the extremes of weather and geography in the Baden wine region.

Baden’s Tauberfranken wine district is far to the north and east of most of the rest of the Baden region. It lies less than 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Wuerzburg, in Franconia (Franken, in German). The town of Lauda-Koenigshofen, an important center in this district, is where the trail began. (Officially, it begins in the associated village of Beckstein, but parking was not as easy there.) Lauda-Koenigshofen lies on the west bank of the Tauber River, but in large part seems fairly divorced from the river. Skirting west of the old walled town center (well worth a quick visit), the trail avoided the river altogether and headed uphill into the vineyards.

The trail climbed gently, on a wonderful path, until it leveled out. From above, I could see up the valley, and across to wooded hills and fields. There is a fairly large amount of vineyard to see on this side of Lauda-Koenigshofen, which surprised me, as the vines are not easily seen from the old center, and vice versa.

 

The trail descended into the village of Oberlauda. In a couple of minutes, on the far side of the village, it began to follow a stream of the same name. Soon, I entered the forest behind Oberlauda.

 

Unlike its southern wine districts, the Baden wine region’s northernmost district does get a fair amount of snow. From  grass, to snow, weather and conditions can change quickly on a trail with elevation, such as the Tauberschwarzweg.  Before long, the snow was ankle deep, and the going was icy. By the time I reached the top of a windswept plateau, covered by vast expanses of field, a mini-blizzard was full on.  Fortunately, I soon descended into the sheltered vineyards of Beckstein, but not before taking some photographs of the chillingly (figuratively and literally speaking) beautiful winter landscape.

 

Vineyards surround the little village of Beckstein. It is home to the prize-winning Becksteiner Winzer cooperative, which is also worth a visit. In addition to its wines, the cooperative shop’s displays inform about the area, its geology, its vineyards and its wines. There is even a little aroma bar! Best of all, it is right on the trail! But with the snow and fading daylight, I wanted to finish the trail sooner rather than later. As the trail climbed up and away from Beckstein, I took one final look at the compact village nestled in the vine-covered valley. About thirty minutes later, I was back at my snow-covered car, and happy to have had such a great, albeit cold, snowy, day on a well-laid out wine trail.