Tag Archives: Germany/Baden

Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden’s Hochrhein

 

What I Learned:

Hohentengen am Hochrhein, is in an area south of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen, and the Klettgau wine district, west of the Swiss town of Eglisau in the Canton of Zurich, and to its south is the Swiss town of Kaiserstuhl. But this wine-producing area is part of Germany’s Baden wine region, Bodensee district. Its micro-climate is similar: cool, but not frigid in winter, elevated, but not mountainous, and warm, even occasionally hot, in the summer. In short, it is good for vines. Like the area of Lake Constance in general, this area gets a fair amount of sun, considering its German/Swiss location. Vines have been here, off and on, for over a millennium. Currently, the Engelhof Winery has planted about 25 hectares to the west of Hohentengen, on the Oelberg slope, which has an excellent southern exposure.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Durch die Reben des Oelberg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Durch die Reben des Oelberg (Through Oelberg Vineyards)

Trail Type: A short distance circuit; well-maintained, but with varying surfaces, from grass to tarmac, marking on the trail is generic, but good throughout.

Length:

Total – 6.8 kilometers/ 4.25 miles

Convenient to: Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany; Schaffhausen, Switzerland

Marking:

Yellow diamond (See featured photo, and comment section below.)

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Germany, Hiking

Manna on the Mannaberg

 

The Kraichgau is a small corner in northern Baden. Quiet villages tuck into the steep folds of hills, following little valleys, generally along small creeks. It is spiritually far removed from the nearby big urban conglomerations, which you can occasionally see from the trail, in the distance. Pockets of vineyards lie among fields, and below tree lines, or on the sheltered sides of rolling ridges. The vineyards here are small, but well-tended. They are truly the agricultural manna of this area of Germany’s Baden wine region.

Distant Cities

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Kraichgau

 

What I Learned

The Kraichgau district of the Baden wine region is relatively small, only about 1200 hectares overall. Known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” the Kraichgau is a slice of hilly territory located east of the Rhine, north of Karlsruhe and south of Heidelberg. This district is less well-known than many other Baden districts, and is characterized by small, farming (or now commuter) communities. The better-known Ortenau district of Baden begins south of the Kraichgau.

Grosslage Mannaberg, extending from Bruchsal through Ostringen to Wiesloch, has as growths: Kirchberg, Ulrichsberg, Schlossberg, Burgengraf and Heiligenstein.

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Weinwanderweg Mannaberg: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Weinwanderweg Mannaberg

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved or hard surface throughout, marking on the trail good in places, and missing altogether in others

Length:

Total – 21 kilometers/ 13 miles

Convenient to: Heidelberg, or Wiesloch, Germany

Marking: Blue grapes in a white circle on an orange background

Sign: Mannaberg

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Biking, Germany

White Gold in Baden

 

Anyone fortunate enough to be in Germany in late April, May or the first half of June, has undoubtedly experienced “Spargel Saison”: Asparagus Season. These are not your ordinary asparagus spears! They are round, and fat, and so fresh-looking as to be unreal. They are ethereally white, and they have a dainty crisp-tenderness that defies description. They can also be extremely expensive, with the first local spears starting at around $30 for a kilo (2.2 pounds). It is the white gold of the vegetable world (excepting hops shoots, which relate to beer so we won’t go there) – ranking up there with other costly edibles such as white truffles and saffron.

Come Asparagus Season, traditional dishes such as asparagus cream soup (many variations, but all delicious), and steamed asparagus spears with herbed crepes (or steamed potatoes) and hollandaise sauce, make their seasonal appearance on menus across the country, but especially in the Rhine Valley. Suggested wine pairings include Baden’s Gutedel, and Franconia’s Silvaner wines.

Palatable White Gold from Baden

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Germany, Wines

Wine Notes: Baden’s Kraichgau

 

What I Learned

The Kraichgau district of the Baden wine region is a relatively small pocket of hill territory located east of the Rhine and south of Heidelberg. This district is less well-known than many other Baden districts, and is characterized by small farming communities. The better-known Ortenau district of Baden begins south of the Kraichgau.

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Biking, Germany, Nutshell

Weisses Gold und Traubensaft: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Weisses Gold und Traubensaft

Trail Type: A medium-distance, themed bicycle circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is not marked.

Length: Total: 49 kilometers/ 31 miles

Convenient to: Heidelberg, or Karlsruhe, Germany

Marking: None

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Germany, Hiking, Nutshell

Burgunderpfad: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name: Burgunderpfad

Trail Type: Long distance hiking trail; varied surfaces from grass to hardpacked dirt, to asphalt; well maintained, and mostly well-marked.

Length:

Total: 27.5 kilometers/ 17 miles

Segment (mine): Gottenheim to Munzingen: 17.5

Convenient to: Freiburg, Germany

Marking: Purple grapes with light green terraces in profile, in a white circle, on a red stripe

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