Discovering Givry

 

If, as King Henry IV famously stated, “Paris is worth a Mass”, then he also likely said: Givry is worth a glass. It was his favorite wine. As I hiked along the trail that meandered past its clos and vineyards, and strolled along its streets, I had reason to see why.

The stroll through town showcases some of its beautiful old buildings. Erected during different eras, they are all made of the amazing limestone that is so typical of many Burgundian buildings. Once out of town and in the vineyards, clos walls are made of the same material, albeit in January covered by moss and lichen in a colorful winter coat.

Givry: Old Building

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Wine Notes: Givry

 

What I Learned

The town and township of Givry, surrounded by vineyards, lies in the sub-region of Burgundy known as Cote Chalonnaise. In this area, which also includes neighboring Dracy-le-Fort and Jambles, different appellations are in effect. From lower to higher on the quality scale they are the appellation of Bourgogne, the appellation of Cote Chalonnaise, and the appellation for the Givry. In addition to the Givry village appellation, there are similar village appellations for nearby Mercurey, Rully, and Montagny-les Buxy. While some experts opine that Mercurey consistently produces the highest quality wines of these four villages, Givry runs a close second. Both produce mostly red wines from Pinot Noir grapes. Montagny-les-Buxy produces exclusively white wines from Chardonnay grapes. Givry produces only about ten percent white wine, but these wines can sometimes provide discerning tasters an unusual licorice note.

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Cote Chalonnaise: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Decouverte Nature de la Cote Chalonnaise (to give it the full name)

Trail Type: mid-distance circuit trail; fairly well-maintained and very diverse trail surfaces, marking on the trail overall fairly good in some places, but missing in others

Length:

Total – 10 kilometers/6.2 miles

Convenient to: Chalon-sur-Saone, France

Marking: Varies, (G2, G3, and in one section red and white bars) but key spots are identified by location posts, and any or all of the above markings.

Cortiambles: Trail Sign on Location Post

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Whining about Woods

 

German wine is well known. As are German woods and forests: The Odenwald, and the Black Forest (Schwarzwald, in German), to name a couple of famous ones. So, when I found a circuit trail entitled Wein und Wald Runde (roughly translated as Wine and Woods Circuit), I really looked forward to cycling it.

Winding Through Vines and Woods

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Wine Notes: Wuerttemberg’s Untere Neckartal

 

What I Learned

In the German region of Wuerttemberg, a lot of wine is produced. Much of it grows on steep hillsides facing the Neckar River, but some of it is produced in the valleys of its main tributaries. Wuerttemberg is a hilly state, with well-drained, sun-facing slopes in many districts. The vines and orchards compete to cover slopes in Wuerttemberg’s wine district of the Untere Neckartal (also known apparently as Wuerttembergisches Unterland), near Heilbronn, in southern Germany.

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 Wein & Wald Runde: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Wein & Wald Runde (Wine and Woods Circuit) (AKA: SB3)

Trail Type: Mid-distance cycling itinerary circuit; well-maintained, with much of it paved, and well-marked, along most of the itinerary route

Length:

Total – 28 kilometers/17.4 miles

Convenient to: Heilbronn, Germany

Marking: SB3 and trail name letters in white on a colorful square metal sign

SB3 Wein & Wald Runde Sign

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Wine Fields Wandering

 

Weinfelden means wine fields in German, and in Switzerland, the Canton of Thurgau, there is a small town with this name. Not surprisingly, vineyards surround it, and the town’s hiking wine itinerary passes through them.

A promising start to any wine trail itinerary, surely. Additionally, this particular trail promised a wine education path, and diverse opportunities to sample wine along the way. So, making my way to the trailhead in the center of Weinfelden, set on the banks of the Thur River, I was intent on hiking the trail as well as learning about and tasting the local wines.

Weinfelden Wine Fields

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Wine Notes: Thurgau

 

What I Learned

The canton of Thurgau, in north central Switzerland, is a wine producing canton. For wine purposes, this canton has several different districts: The Upper Thur Valley, the Lower Thur Valley, Rhine, Lauchetal, Seebachtal, and Untersee. Its northern most section, the Untersee faces onto Lake Constance and the High Rhine. Much of the rest of the canton wine production lies in the valley of the Thur River, a tributary to the Rhine, from which the canton gets its name.

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Weinfelden Weinweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Weinfelden Weinweg

Trail Type: A short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, good marking on the trail

Length:

Total – 9 kilometers/6 miles

Convenient to: St Gallen, Switzerland; Konstanz, Germany

Marking: Burgundy colored metal arrow, with green grape leaf and trail name letters. See featured photo above.

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Hiking and Biking European Wine Country