Tag Archives: Baden

Germany, Hiking

Monkeys and Wine

 

While it might not be true wine, monkeys do consume, quite deliberately, fermented fruit juice found in the wild.

A theme of monkeys and wine drew me to a hike in the Affental, not far from Baden-Baden, Germany. A possible translation of Affen-tal, is Monkey Valley. Wine from this area is duly bottled with a monkey embossing the front of the bottle. I had often wondered about this somewhat incongruous mascot, and a visit to the local cooperative, Affentaler Winzer, provided an opportunity to taste the local wines, and learn more about the viticultural history and practices of the area. The short hike gave me an opportunity to wander through the vineyards of Affental.

Continue reading Monkeys and Wine →

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Affental Red Wine

 

What I Learned

Monkey Valley, or  Affental, in German, has a long history of wine making. Located just south of Baden-Baden, this corner of Baden, Germany long attracted and encouraged monastic foundations. As is often the case, it was medieval religious who established the viticulture of the region, as they needed communion wine. In this case, the 13th century Cistercians from the Lichtenthaler Monastery of Baden-Baden planted Pinot Noir vines in this area of steep slopes with good exposure to the sun.

The practice of viticulture has continued ever since. In 1908, local vintners  created the Affentaler Winzer, a cooperative winery. This cooperative focused on red wine production. Although other cooperatives were also in Eisental, Affentaler Winzer has since incorporated them into its cooperative.  Affentaler wine has stood out, literally, since 1949, as the Affental Winzer red wine bottles have a raised metal plaquette of a monkey on them.

Continue reading Wine Notes: Affental Red Wine →

Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Rotweinpfad: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Rotweinpfad

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

Length:

Total – 3.8 kilometers/2.3 miles

Convenient to: Baden-Baden, Germany

Marking:

Purple grapes with a green leaves on a white (or yellow) background

Rotweinpfad Signage

Continue reading Rotweinpfad: Trail in a Nutshell →

Germany, Hiking

A Baroque Wine Combination

 

If you have never seen the Baroque architecture of southern Germany, then you are missing a treat. The extravagance of the forms, the flamboyance of the colors, are not usually found in nature, which is what made such an interesting juxtaposition on this winter hike.

The trail, entitled Wein Barock, presumably intended as its highlights the pilgrimage basilica of Birnau, and the vineyards surrounding it. Equally as impressive to me, was the scenic beauty of the Swiss Alps, and Lake Constance, also enjoyed from this trail.

This trail is set entirely in the township of Uhldingen-Muehlhofen, made up of the villages of Unteruhldingen, Oberuhldingen, and Muehlhofen, which progress respectively, from the lake front to the hills. The circuit officially begins in Oberuhldingen, proceeding from its homey center, and quickly comes to the surrounding countryside.

Oberuhldingen

Continue reading A Baroque Wine Combination →

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden/Lake Constance

 

What I Learned

Germany’s Baden wine region contains a district on the shores of Lake Constance, or Bodensee, as it is called in German. The lake itself has two distinct parts: the Bodensee, and the Untersee. Both have vineyards which fall under Grosslage Sonnenufer. This post comments on the Kirchhalde slope by Uhldingen, on the Bodensee itself.

The lake and the northern shoreline’s southern exposure to sun help to warm this area, making it a garden spot for Germany. Vineyards are tucked among the villages and religious foundations, along with fruit trees and fields of vegetables, grains and flowers. In this district, vineyards grow primarily in gravelly, moraine clay soils. The Kirchhalde slope, with a nice south, south-westerly exposure, is fairly pronounced, but overall, the elevation is less than 500 meters.

Continue reading Wine Notes: Baden/Lake Constance →

Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Wein-Barock: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Wein-Barock

Trail Type: Mid-distance circuit trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the marking along the route, while excellent, is not trail specific. (See the Itinerary below for specific itinerary points.)

Length: total: 10 kilometers/ 6 miles

Convenient to: Konstanz, and Friedrichshafen, Germany

Marking:

Yellow rectangular signs with black lettering, indicating direction to major itinerary points. (Not trail specific)

Trail Signage

Continue reading Wein-Barock: Trail in a Nutshell →

Germany, Hiking

High Rhine Wine Time

 

Following hard on the heels of the longest circuit hike I have done to date, comes the shortest one. Both were in the German wine region of Baden, albeit one in the most southern district of the region, and the other in one of the northern-most districts. Both were fun to hike, although I must confess I found this trail more to my taste aesthetically.

Hills by Hohentengen

Continue reading High Rhine Wine Time →

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden’s Hochrhein

 

What I Learned:

Hohentengen am Hochrhein, is in an area south of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen, and the Klettgau wine district, west of the Swiss town of Eglisau in the Canton of Zurich, and to its south is the Swiss town of Kaiserstuhl. But this wine-producing area is part of Germany’s Baden wine region, Bodensee district. Its micro-climate is similar: cool, but not frigid in winter, elevated, but not mountainous, and warm, even occasionally hot, in the summer. In short, it is good for vines. Like the area of Lake Constance in general, this area gets a fair amount of sun, considering its German/Swiss location. Vines have been here, off and on, for over a millennium. Currently, the Engelhof Winery has planted about 25 hectares to the west of Hohentengen, on the Oelberg slope, which has an excellent southern exposure.

Continue reading Wine Notes: Baden’s Hochrhein →