Trail Name: Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg I (Franconian Red Wine Hiking Trail) (FRW)
Trail Type: Long-distance trail; well-maintained, with mixed surfaces and stairs, good marking on most of the trail, although missing in a few places.
Length:
Total – 79 kilometers/49 miles
Segment (first three stages): 48.3 kilometers/30 miles
Convenient to:
Aschaffenburg, Germany
Marking:
A Franconian wine glass (fat-stemmed), mostly red in color, often with the words Fraenkischer Rotwein Wanderweg, set on a green and white background on a square.
Another cycling route, and another chance to sample the wines along the Main River. The Main River valley is famous for its wines and its long-distance bike trail, the Main Radweg. It is one of Germany’s most popular cycling itineraries, justifiably beloved for its combination of pretty scenery, easy riding, welcoming towns and villages, and its wine culture. Many cyclists complete the entire Main Radweg. It is almost 400 kilometers long, and is not a circuit. This endeavor calls for time as well as careful advanced planning, which are usually in short supply for most of us. The Geniesser Tour cycling itinerary however is a wonderful alternative. Depending on stops, it is a half-day to a day-long circuit through one of the quietest sections of the Main Radweg in the Franconian wine region’s eastern Maindreieck district.
Beginning in Dettelbach, a well-known wine village, the trail followed along the river on the Main Radweg for about three kilometers. At Mainstockheim, the Geniesser Tour route peeled off into the hills above the river. The GWF, or the Winzergemeinschaft Franken, to give it its full name, came into view after passing through Buchbronn. GWF wines can come from grapes from various wine districts of Franconia. But the closest were found along the trail in the vineyards outside little Repperndorf. The trail entered Kitzingen shortly thereafter. It is undoubtedly the largest town in the area, with an historic center that is well worth the 500-meter detour. But if you push on, not to worry: the route does circle back to Kitzingen, albeit on the other side of the river.
The Franconia wine region (Franken, in German) has several wine districts, and the Maindreieck district is perhaps the best known. Set along the Main river, it has some of the region’s most famous vineyard sites, dramatic scenery, and a thriving wine trade since the early Middle Ages.
Dreieck in German means triangle. The Maindreieck is a triangle of land surrounded on three sides by the Main River, a major tributary to the Rhine River. The river makes three dramatic curves close to the heart of Franconia, forming this triangular “peninsula”, hence the name of this viticultural area in south central Germany. The most important and undoubtedly best-known town for wine culture in this area is Wuerzburg, which in addition to some of the most well-known vineyards in Franconia, has the extremely popular wine bar on the old bridge.
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.
The Maindreieck wine region in Franconia is an area of quiet refinement. This region offers lovingly preserved ancient towns untouched by mass tourism, and miles of fruitful vineyards producing some unique wines (and wine bottles), all nestled within the gentle curve of the Main River. Yet the sophistication of Wuerzburg, in terms of food and wine, pervades throughout.
Dettelbach, where this circuit trail begins, is a charming old town along the Main River. Behind its town walls, lies a hidden jewel, filled with carefully maintained half-timbered houses, Renaissance and Baroque era churches and chapels, and old homes with private courtyards, some now offering seating for very good restaurants. Exploring inside the walls is fun, but making the rounds of the existing wall sections and towers is even more interesting, as the towers’ architecture suggests centuries of upkeep and renovation.
Bavaria’s only wine region, Franconia, has three wine districts, the Maindreieck, the Mainviereck, and the Steigerwald. These wine growing regions are actually closer to Frankfurt am Main, than they are to Munich, the state of Bavaria’s capital. The Maindreieck, a triangle of land formed by an almost 180 degree turn in the Main River’s course, is particularly favored by nature to produce grapes. One of the major sites in terms of size is by the small town of Dettelbach, known for its consistently good wines.
