Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Saar (Mosel)

 

What I Learned

In 2007, the German wine region of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, became known simply as the Mosel. But I want to highlight the unique wines of the Saar, a distinct territorial entity as indicated in the old designation. The Saar River is the Moselle River’s longest tributary. Lined by steep slopes, the Saar terroir is composed chiefly of blue Devonian slate. Since the Saar vineyards on the whole are higher in elevation than the Mosel vineyards, this slate component to the soil is particularly important as it captures and retains the heat of the sunshine, thus helping to ensure the grapes survive to reach maximum ripeness, sometimes as late as early November!

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Saarweinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Saarweinwanderweg

Trail Type: Long distance circuit; almost exclusively paved or hard-packed surface, well maintained, and fairly well marked.

Length:

Total: 77.4 kilometers/ 48 miles

My stage: 16 kilometers/10 miles

Convenient to:

Trier, Germany

Marking:

White rectangular signs with blue lettering  (See featured photo above.)

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Austria, Hiking

Water to Wine

 

From water to wine, and wine-gardens, the literal translation of Weingarten, German for “vineyard.” That was both the theme and the reality of this circuit hike by Sankt Stefan ob Stainz. It was here in Styria, Steiermark, in German, that I began my exploration of the wines from this southeastern corner of Austria.

Vineyard near St Stefan ob Stainz

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Austria, Wines

Wine Notes: Austria’s Steiermark

 

What I Learned

The Steiermark is a wine region in the southeast corner of Austria. It is called Styria in English. The Steiermark lies just north of the Slovenian Alps, and east of the Austrian ones. Within this political and wine entity, there are three wine sub-regions.

-The easternmost, the Suedoststeiermark lies closest to Hungary, from where gets some of its climatic influences. Its topography is moderately hilly in most places, and as the name for its Vulkanland district implies,  is influenced by remains of ancient volcanos.

-The southernmost, is the Suedsteiermark, which shares a long border, as well as a tradition of viticulture, with Slovenia.

-Then there is the Weststeiermark. It is known by Austrian wine-lovers, and promoted by the local tourism industry, as Schilcher-land, home to a rose wine of the same name.

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Austria, Hiking, Nutshell

Zachgraben und Weingaerten: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Zachgraben und Weingaerten (Zach Creek and Vineyards)

Trail Type: A mid-distance circuit trail; some sections maintained, others rougher, with varying surfaces, from paved to mud. This circuit is not marked (See comment)

Length:

Total – 10.1 kilometers/6 miles

Convenient to: Graz, Austria

Marking:

None (See comment!)

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Biking, Germany

On Wuerttemberg’s Weinradweg

 

Wuerttemberg’s Weinradweg (Wine Cycle Route) complements this German state’s long-distance, wine-themed hiking trail, and extends a bit further south as well. When it comes to wine trails, both the hiking trail and this biking trail fall in the category of extensive. I had already hiked, and really enjoyed, parts of the 470 kilometers/292 miles-long hiking trail. I wanted to explore the bike trail as well.

Since I knew I would never complete the whole route, I decided to cover new ground, the area south of Stuttgart, along the Neckar River, one section of Wuerttemberg’s wine country that the complementary hiking route does not reach. Looking at the trail map, it is easy to see that the very first segment lends itself nicely to a circuit route: starting from Rottenburg am Neckar, and going to Tubingen, via the Ammerbuch valley, and returning to Rottenburg along the easy, popular and well-marked Neckar Valley bike trail.

Ducks on the Ammer

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Wuerttemberg’s Oberer Neckar

 

What I Learned

The Oberer Neckar, Upper Neckar, in English, is the smallest wine district in the Wuerttemberg Wine Region, with only about 30 hectares (acres) to its credit. The district’s name is due to its position in the upper third of the valley defined by the Neckar River. Its closest viticultural neighbors, Metzingen and Neuffen, as well as the Stuttgart Weinsteige, lie to the north (downriver) within the Remstal-Stuttgart wine district of the Wuerttemberg wine region.

Historically, the region’s vintners were challenged to get a crop undamaged to harvest. Tradition says that their wines were sour, and hence having a poor reputation for quality. Since 1990, that is changing. Helped by climate change (meaning better ripening for the grapes), and education, the wines are much improved.

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Wuerttemberger Weinradweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Wuerttemberger Weinradweg

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, marking on the trail very good

Length:

Total – 354 kilometers/219 miles

My segment – 32 kilometers/ 20 miles

Convenient to: Stuttgart, Tuebingen, Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany

Marking: Square metal shield with a white-outlined stylized rider on a bicycle superimposed on a burgundy background

Wuerttemberger Weinradweg Sign

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Hiking, Spain

Catalonia’s Cava Capital

 

While Barcelona is the political capital of Catalonia, its cava capital is Sant Sadurni d’Anoia. This small town in the hills behind Barcelona is as devoted to cava as fans of sparkling wine are devoted to cava. Thus, the trail through the area around this town encountered plenty of wineries and vineyards, in a very rural area not far from Barcelona.

Countryside: Sant Sadurni

 

I began this trail from the train station in Barcelona. The train ride to Sant Sadurni was super easy from Barcelona. Not only that, but a special deal includes round-trip ticket with a tour of the Freixenet sparkling wine facility, which happens to be right next door to the station. So, after the informative tour, and the free tasting, I headed out on the trail.

Freixenet Cellars

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Hiking and Biking European Wine Country