Tag Archives: Germany vineyard trails

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Mittelhaardt

 

What I Learned

Germany’s Pfalz wine region is divided into two parts, the northern district of Mittelhaardt/Deutsche Weinstrasse, and the Suedliche Weinstrasse which is located south of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. This entire region produces both red and white wines, with white wines making up approximately two-thirds of the overall annual production.

The Mittelhaardt/Deutsche Weinstrasse district runs along the Haardt mountains, facing east on gentle slopes in the optimal rain and wind shadow formed by the mountains covered by the majestic trees of the Pfaelzer Wald forest. This district, which begins in Bockenheim and continues to south of Neustadt, is in one of the warmest and sunniest regions of Germany. It contains towns and villages famous for their wines, as well as their lively wine festivals. Bad Duerkheim, with its Wurstmarkt in September, Neustadt with its Weinlese festival, in October, are two of the most famous wine festivals in Germany.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Pfaelzer Weinsteig: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Pfaelzer Weinsteig

Trail Type:

Long distance trail; well-maintained albeit with some rougher stretches along the segments through the forest and hills, naturally, marking on the trail very good overall

Length:

Total – 185 Kilometers/114 miles

Stage 4: 20 kilometers/12.5 miles (Deidesheim to Neustadt an der Weinstrasse)

My segment*- 7.5 kilometers/ miles (Train station, Deidesheim to Gimmeldingen)

Convenient to:

Bad Duerkheim or Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Marking:

Red and white square, with white grapes on red background, trail name in red and white letters, alternatively simply red over white stripes

Signage Pfaelzer Weinsteig

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Germany, Hiking

Remembering Ahrtal

 

I remember the Ahrtal and its wines.  As evident below the photograph, the trail I hiked in May 2018 passed through an area filled with quiet charm and natural beauty, known for full-bodied red wine. Unfortunately, the area is now known for the epic July 2021 floods. Raging waters devastated town after town along the trail. Lives were tragically lost. The vintners lost not only this year’s harvest, old vines, and the work of decades, many also lost even the wines in their cellars. The human cost in suffering and loss of lives has been enormous. As a reminder of life, loss, and love of the area, I republish this series of posts with best wishes for recovery, in all its senses.

Wiki: Altenahr Flood, by Martin Seifert

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Rotweinwanderweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Rotweinwanderweg (Red Wine Hiking Trail)

Trail Type: Long distance; surface footing is all hard, be it on tarmac or hardpacked earth or stair-steps; very well maintained, and extremely well-marked.

Length:

Total: 35.5 kilometers / 22 miles

My segment: Altenahr to Marienthal (@15 kilometers / 9 miles)

Convenient to: Bonn, Germany

Marking: Red grapes on a white background

Rotweinwanderweg Signage

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Germany, Hiking

Vines on the Rhine

 

Readers may have noticed that there are many hiking trails through vineyards in the whole of the Rhine River Valley, in Germany, France and Switzerland. However, many of the vineyards in the Rhine River Valley, are not necessarily close to the river, especially since the valley is especially wide where the river flows between France and Germany. Hence Alsatian vineyards in France, and the Baden vineyards in Germany can be miles away from the river.

But it is a very different picture (and view) indeed, when hiking or biking through the northern Rheingau or southern Mittelrhein wine regions. Previous hikes through the Rheingau (on the east/right bank of the Rhine) on the fabulous Rheingauer RieslingPfad (see here, and the photo below), left me wanting to see more, and from a different perspective. I began with the southern-most vine growing area on the west/left bank of the Rhine, where the Reblausweg Trail provides nice views of both the Rheingau and Mittelrhein vineyards just across the river.

Both Banks: Lorch (Foreground), Niederheimbach (Opposite)

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Mittelrhein Reichenstein

 

What I Learned

The Mittelrhein (Middle Rhine) is famous for its dozens of castle ruins, towering cliffs, and dramatic oxbow bends along the course of the Rhine through this section of it. The Upper Middle Rhine is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It begins in Koblenz, and continues to Bingen.

This also defines the wine region known as the Mittelrhein. Unlike other wine regions on the Rhine, this region covers both banks of the river (beginning north of Lorchhausen, which is part of the Rheingau region). Many areas of the Upper Middle Rhine do not produce wine: the topography and geology just aren’t suitable or practicable, even for growing other crops. That just makes the vineyards along this section of the Rhine even more esteemed.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Reblausweg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Reblausweg (Nr 13)

Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and mostly paved or hard-packed earthen trail, marking on the trail is mostly good, but not specific to this trail

Length:

Total – 7.8 kilometers/miles

Convenient to: Bingen, or Koblenz, Germany

Marking:

Nothing specific to the Reblausweg trail, but directional signs, and marking for the Panoramaweg trail (which this trail partly follows), are both helpful.

Directional Signage
Trail Marker for Panoramaweg

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