What I Learned
The Markgraeflerland district is along the southern-most section of the Rhine as it borders France, in the region of Baden, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. As many other wine regions in the Rhine River valley, the Romans cultivated and harvested grapes here, and with the start of the Carolingian era, viticulture and viniculture took hold again.
Trail Name: Wii Wegli
Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and usually paved or hard pack, marking on the trail very good throughout.
Length: 81.6 kilometers/ 50.5 miles (See note below)
Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany; Basel, Switzerland
Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on white background (Note: many times the red has faded to white. Another note: In the final segment, the trail often follows the Jacobusweg: yellow cockleshell on blue)
I have hiked many wine trails, in many different wine regions. And I have tasted many wines from those regions. But rarely does a trail combine both a wonderful hiking experience and tasting experience in one. For sheer variety of landscape, and expansive vistas of much of the southern Rhine River Valley, the Wii Wegli (dialect for: little wine trail) is a fantastic long-distance hiking experience. Located in the southwestern corner of Germany, the Markgraeflerland is a wine district in Baden’s wine region – one with excellent wines. From south (by Basel, Switzerland) to north (by Freiburg) great hiking and wine experiences awaited over every hill, and in every village.
What I Learned
The Markgraeflerland wine district is along the southern-most section of the Rhine as it borders France and Switzerland, in the wine region of Baden, in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is the southern-most wine producing district in Germany. It begins in Weil am Rhein, just outside the Swiss city of Basel, and continues almost to Freiburg. The vineyards lie on the foothills between the river valley floor, and the Black Forest mountains to the east. About 3000 hectares, and 90 cooperatives, cellars and wine estates are dedicated to the production of this district’s wine, carried out the in villages and small towns that dot this area.
Trail Name: Wii Wegli
Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; very well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard-pack, marking on the trail is consistent, and pretty good throughout (although maps are necessary).
Length: 81.6 kilometers/50.5 miles (See comment below)
Convenient to: Freiburg, or Weil am Rhein, Germany, Basel, Switzerland
Marking: Yellow grape cluster on a red diamond on a white background (Note: many times, the red has faded to white. Another note: In the final segment, the trail often follows the Jacobusweg: yellow cockleshell on blue background)
Durbach is the name of a quiet village set among the hills of the Ortenau wine district in Germany.
This village, on the edge of the famous Black Forest, attracts active vacationers who enjoy being outdoors. Dark green woods, bright green vineyards, and tufts of wildflowers set against contrasting shades of green, or bright blue sky, form a large part of this summertime color palette. Snaking through it, in shades of red or white, are thin paths leading upward. They combine, in a variety of ways, to form sections of the numerous hiking trails crisscrossing this hilly landscape. Hikers wishing to take advantage of them will need to stay for several days to explore them all!
What I Learned
The Ortenau is a district in Germany’s Baden wine region. This district lies on an undulating landscape, in bucolic countryside, punctuated by picturesque wine villages. Durbach is one of these villages, renowned for its excellent vineyards, and justly famed for the quality of its wines. Ridgelines here are less lines, than semi-circles, creating several small natural bowls with steep sides. Most of the growths have ideal exposure to the sun. Additionally, these bowls protect the grape-bearing slopes from too much wind. The climate here is exceptionally mild and sunny in summer. In short, this is one of the best areas for growing grapes in Baden.
Trail Name: Durbacher Weinpanorama Weg
Trail Type: Medium distance circuit; tarmac or hard-packed (albeit some loose gravel here and there), well maintained, fairly well-marked, albeit not always easy to see. (Also see comments below.)
Length: total: 16 kilometers / 10 miles
Convenient to: Offenburg, Germany; Strasbourg, France
Marking: Signs with white letters spelling “Durbacher Weinpanorama”
