Trail Name: Geniesser Tour
Trail Type: Long distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, mostly good marking throughout the circuit
Length:
Total – 49 kilometers/ 30.5 miles
Convenient to: Kitzingen, and Wuerzburg, Germany
Marking:
An official Kitzinger Land tour, the signage for this tour numbered two includes outlines of a wine glass, wine bottle and plate of asparagus spears in burgundy on a white background.
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.
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.
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
Continue reading Wuerttemberger Weinradweg: Trail in a Nutshell
Spring blooms relatively early in the southern Pfalz. First, and perhaps the most spectacular of all, are the almond blossoms. Beginning in early March and continuing until mid-April, the profuse, brilliantly pink flowers seen against a cerulean blue sky, are a gorgeous sight. This magnificent spectacle prompted a long-distance hiking trail entitled the Pfaelzer Mandelpfad, or the Pfalz Almond Trail. While I unfortunately arrived just as the pink almond blossoms had faded, I could see the next tree blossoms on deck: the delicately colored white apple tree blossoms.
Trail Name: Fassboden 3
Trail Type: Short distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and on mostly paved surfaces, (with little vehicular traffic along the way). Marking on the trail was good in some areas, albeit with only generic cycling traffic marking, and non-existent in others. (Best to have the free map or the GPX coordinates found at the link below.)
Length:
Total – 23.5 kilometers/14.5 miles
Convenient to: Landau, or Karlsruhe, or Bad Bergzabern, Germany
Marking:
Square signs with a wine barrel and the number 3 inscribed on it. (Colors are green and white; sometimes it is a green background with white design, or otherwise vice versus.)
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.
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
