Trail Name: Korkenzieher Themenweg
Trail Type: Short distance; variable surfaces, i.e.: leaf and grass, hard-packed earth, and paved; mostly well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.
Length: total: 7 kilometers/ 4.4 miles
Convenient to: Traismauer, Sankt Polten, Austria
Marking: None
Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3: Yet another wine trail in the Swiss Canton of Ticino for me to rave about. This one is a twin (actually a triplet) to the one I wrote about earlier: Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 1. (See it here.) Although the two trails share many characteristics, there are enough differences to make each uniquely enjoyable.
Itinerari 3 is a multinational trail! While the trail begins in Rancate, Switzerland, it weaves through the Italian village of Clivio, Italy, before returning to its start in Rancate. Thus, it provided me another opportunity to visit the Italo-Swiss lake region. This trail has water views, unlike the other trail which is set close to, but on the other side of the ridge from, Lake Como. An especially memorable view was from on high of Lake Lugano: a stunning blue gemstone set amidst a spring-green landscape. It was a surprise, a delight, and above all, an unforgettable treat.
What I Learned:
Switzerland’s Ticino canton ranks as the fourth most important wine growing canton in Switzerland. The area of Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Property, is particularly favored for growing grapes because of its microclimate, its hydrological characteristics, and especially its geology. From glacier sediment to marine sediment to clay, from limestone to bituminous schist to sandstone, the diverse nature of its soil results in ideal conditions for cultivating green grapes (mainly in the alkaline soils), and red grapes (primarily in the acidic soils.) In total, approximately 500,000 liters of wine comes from the Monte San Giorgio area alone each year.
Trail Name: Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3
Trail Type: medium distance circuit; mostly paved, some path, mostly well maintained, and marked in some places.
Length: total – 16.8 kilometers/10.45 miles
Convenient to: Chiasso or Lugano, Switzerland; or Varese or Como, Italy
Marking: Purple stylized grapes on a light background. (May be seen in conjunction with white stylized grapes on a purple background – the marking for mountain bikes.)
Continue reading Itinerari Tra I Vigneti 3 – Trail in a Nutshell
There is nothing like Italian sunshine to chase away the winter blues. And in vineyards in March, the sun melts the snow faster, and the vineyards begin to show hints of life earlier, making a March hike through the Piedmont countryside a true delight.
Add to this the opportunity to taste a light, sweet wine, with sweet summer berry flavors, and dreams of summer flood the senses. In this case, the wine was Malvasia, and the countryside was around the Piedmont village of Casorzo, homeland of the DOC Malvasia di Casorzo.
What I Learned
The Monferrato wine district lies within Italy’s Piedmont wine region. The DOC system recognizes various unique varietals and some interesting wine production techniques. The wines from here are not only high quality overall, but also closely related to the land and the history of this district.
Trail Name: Sentiero del Malvasia
Trail Type:
Mid-distance; paved in the urban area, dirt, loam or grass in other parts; somewhat maintained, but the route itself is not well marked.
Length: Total – 10 kilometers/ 6 miles
Convenient to: Asti, or Casale Monferrato, Italy
Marking:
Rectangular sign with red and white stripes overwritten “2” (or not)
If there is any grape that wine-lovers consider the quintessential grape of Germany, it is Riesling. German Riesling is unique, with fairly high natural acidity (that mellows nicely over time), a great fruity character, and yet generally speaking, a light and refreshing wine. So, coming across a hiking circuit trail in the Pfalz, by Wachenheim in the Mittelhaardt wine district, I decided to hike it, and experience some of the Rieslings from local producers.
This hike, like the wine, was unique and easy to do, with just enough elevation to get the heart going. Like the wine, it could be a fun trail to hike with friends on an early summer day, although I was there in winter, which was fine too. Being a circuit, one could begin anywhere, but I began at the north end of Wachenheim, so that I would have the climbs out of the way first, and the wine-tasting opportunities later.
What I Learned
Riesling is without a doubt the iconic wine of Germany. According to the Deutsches Weininstitut, German vineyards supply approximately 50 per cent of the Riesling worldwide! The Riesling grape does particularly well in the German climate: It will ripen more slowly than many other varietals, and obtain optimal sugar levels in the cool, and often overcast German summers. German winters in the grape-producing regions tend to be cold with some snow, but rarely frigid, and relatively short – thus providing an ideal dormant period for the vines. Every German wine region grows this varietal. But the Mosel and the Pfalz, consistently harvest the most of it. In fact, Riesling currently represents 20 percent of all wine produced in the Pfalz.
