The Pfalz wine region in the southern Rhineland Palatinate (Rheinland Pfalz, in German) has two divisions: Suedliche Weinstrasse and Mittelhaardt. The Mittelhaardt has some of the best-known vineyards. While the official German quality system does not necessarily recognize particular sites as being better than others, many vineyards, and even sections of vineyards, have names. Some of these named parcels, at least among the vintners, have better reputations than others. Thus, even though the official quality system does not focus on particular sites as superior, the VDP (Verband Deutscher Praedikats- und Qualitaetsweinguter) association members will name particular sites on their wine bottle labels as an Erste Lage (loosely equivalent to a Premier Cru site in France), or as a Grosse Lage, identified on the label as GG (for Grosses Gewaechs) (again, in VDP terms, loosely equivalent to a Grand Cru site in France). Some of the sites designated by VDP vintners as Grosse Lage in the Mittelhaardt around Bad Duerkheim include Bad Duerkheim’s Michelsberg parcel, and Ungstein’s Weilberg and Herrenberg parcels. Although Freinsheim does not have any Grosse Lage, it does have the Erste Lage of Schwarzes Kreuz, and the named parcel of Musikantenbuckel. The names can date from a long way back, and often have an interesting history associated with them. For example, the Musikantenbuckel received its name from the practice of itinerant musicians of yore travelling to Freinsheim, and beginning to play their instruments, once they reached that spot. (Being on the downside of a slope – good for vines, by the way – from that point apparently, townspeople could both see and hear the music men approaching through the vines.)
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved with tarmac or concrete, marking on the trail good throughout
Length:
Total – 7.5 kilometers/ miles
Convenient to: Bad Durkheim, Germany
Marking: Musician playing a horn.
Musikantenbuckel Signage
Trail Description:
A family-friendly, short circuit passes up and along a gentle slope, through the village and vineyards, (meaning it is almost completely unshaded), with views over the village and valley, and out to hills. This trail is paved for almost all of it, and where not, there are paved alternatives.
Trailhead:
Freinsheim – Hauptstrasse, at the old Rathaus
Parking:
Freinsheim – Parkplatz P3, Weisenheimerstr
Freinsheim – festival parking area along L522/Talweide. Note: only during the festival weekend!
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: Deutsche Bahn regional trains provide frequent regional train service to Freinsheim, from Gruenstadt to the north, and points south, including Neustadt an der Weinstrasse and Bad Duerkheim.
Bus: Buses connect Freinsheim with Bad Durkheim, and other towns in the area. Check VRN.de for schedules to and from Freinsheim.
Suggested Stages: Not applicable
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Clockwise)
Freinsheim: by the old Rathaus, Korngasse-Wallstrasse-2 Querstr-Wenjenstr, Schubertstr-Franz-Liszt-Str, path straight across, the left along L522, past Sportplatz (soccer field), Orchards and vineyards, and the Weinbergsgarten (rest area with benches and picnic table), cross L455, parallel L455, then cross it again, vineyards, cross path across L522/Talweide
Representative Trail Photo:
Trail Surface: 98% of the Way
Restrooms:
Freinsheim, off Baerengasse
Musikantenbuckel, porta-potties on the trail. Note: only during the festival weekend.
Attractions on or near Trail:
While Freinsheim has no wine-themed museums or exhibits, there are several architectural features of historical interest in the old part of the village.
Tasting along the Trail:
The village of Freinsheim has many wineries (Weingut); and on the day of the Rotweinwanderung, there are half a dozen or so vintners with huts along the trail
Alternative Options:
Hiking: While the Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg, the 96 kilometer-long (almost 60 miles) hiking trail from Bockenheim to the border town of Schweigen-Rechtenbach, passes near Freinsheim, it does not pass through it. Instead, Freinsheim offers a series of short, mostly family-friendly circuits, such as the Wanderweg “Schwarzes Kreuz”, through a named vineyard area.
Biking: Radweg Deutsche Weinstrasse, the 95 kilometer-long (almost 60 miles) cycling trail from Bockenheim to the border town of Schweigen-Rechtenbach), passes through Freinsheim.
Car: Deutsche Weinstrasse, the thematic car route from Bockenheim to the border town of Schweigen-Rechtenbach, passes near Freinsheim.
End of January each year, the Musikantenbuckel area is the venue for the Rotweinwanderung, a walking wine and culinary festival. During this weekend, the Rotweinwanderung Weinwanderweg generally follows the same itinerary as the Musikantenbuckel Wanderweg, but is a bit shorter.
Musikantenbuckel refers to a named vineyard parcel. Freinsheim also has two others: Schwarzes Kreuz and Oschelskopf, with a hiking trail through them, the Schwarzes Kreuz trail. Combining this trail with the Musikantenbuckel would cover all of Freinsheim’s named vineyards, and provide a longer (about 14 kilometer) easy hike.
Arriving by train will add about 900 meters. From there follow: Bahnhofstr-Hauptstr, to arrive at the Rathaus, the official start.
On a dark December day, Christmas Eve 2017, the raw wind cut like a knife atop the Hexen Berg above Winningen. The beautiful views of the Moselle Valley from above, belied an ugly past here. Hexen Berg means Witch Mountain, and here, from 1641 to 1651, many so-called witches were cruelly burned alive during a period of great superstition and intolerance.
Germany’s Moselle River region is as an important wine-producing area in Germany as the Rhine region. Called the “Mosel,” in German, it is also important to the wine industries in Luxembourg, and Lorraine, France. It is the oldest wine producing region in Germany.
The Moselle is famous for its slate. Ribs of the stuff poke out from the earth, and chunks of it cover the ground under the vines. While the Moselle is not as long as the Rhine, it is so diverse as it flows northeast through Germany, that it can be divided into distinct wine areas. Germans refer to these Moselle sections as the Upper Moselle, beginning at the French border, the Middle Moselle, and the Lower Moselle, ending at Koblenz.
Trail Type: Short distance; well-maintained, varied surfaces (grass, earthen, paved; signage good in some places, but lacking in others along the trail
Length: 8 kilometers/5 miles
Convenient to: Koblenz, Germany
Marking: Red witch on a white background (See photo above.)
Germany’s eastern-most wine producing region is in the region of Saxony, starting not far from the eastern borders Germany shares with Poland and the Czech Republic. Culturally, Saxony has a lot on offer for any culture maven; Historically, from the Carolingian era forward, Saxony played a tremendous role in the political vicissitudes of the German speakers in this region of central Europe, with monuments of all sorts to prove it; Additionally, the Saechsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) region, with its famous rock formations like the Bastei and Lilienstein, provides magnificent hiking trails for visitors to enjoy!
Naturally, the hiking trail I chose was a wine-themed trail. This far east and north, vines usually require a body of water to help moderate the temperatures. In this case, the vineyards primarily flank the right bank of the Elbe River. The trail itself followed through these vineyards, and through several villages, towns and cities associated with wine-making. This trail, almost 90 kilometers long, covers much of the vineyard area for which this part of Saxony is famous, interrupted, if you will, by the huge city of Dresden. Not having time to complete the whole trail, I had to choose one segment. I had previously visited Dresden, itself an important city culturally and historically, but never got to Meissen, home to the famous porcelain factory. Thus, I decided to start in vineyards on the southern edge of Meissen, and hike to the end of the trail.
Winemaking came comparatively late to the German wine region of Saxony. According to legend, the noble Bishop of Meissen, Benno, was the first to introduce vines to this area around the year 1100. These first vines were supposedly planted near the mount of Meissen, where the castle and cathedral now stand. About 60 years later, wine-making in Meissen was historically documented. While not the northern-most wine region in Germany, it is the eastern-most wine region, being rather close to both the Polish and Czech borders. Here, the wine region’s vineyards follow the course of the Elbe River, as it enters German from the Czech Republic. The majority of the vineyards are on the right bank (eastern side) of the river, on the south and west facing slopes. With only about 500 hectares (about 1250 acres) ranging along about 50 kilometers of the Elbe, it is one of Germany’s smallest designated wine regions.
