Tag Archives: Eisental

Germany, Hiking

Riesling Wine Wandering

 

Increasingly, wine regions, especially those growing iconic grape varietals, sponsor varietal wine walking trails. Riesling is an especially important varietal in the Rhine River Valley. When I heard of one such trail in the wine region of Baden, I decided to visit.

The Riesling Weg (Trail) is located in the village of Eisental. In this part of the Baden wine region, the Ortenau, Riesling is the single-most cultivated varietal. Riesling can be a challenge to grow, given the lack of sunshine some years, and the steep slopes required to ensure maximal sun exposure when there is any. However, this Riesling trail was not challenging, and is easy enough for the whole family to enjoy.

First, there was the village. Small, compact, and nestled in a hollow, it was an oasis of tranquility. The old nucleus of the village, set around the church and town hall (Rathaus), was untouched by tourism – So laid back that it has only one eatery in the center.

Eisental and the Black Forest

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Rieslingweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Rieslingweg

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

Length:

Total – 7.1 kilometers/4.4 miles

Convenient to: Baden-Baden, Germany

Marking: Green grapes with a green leaf on a white (sometimes yellow) background

Riesling Weg Signage

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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.

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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.

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